


Gamble Your Life Away

by Pastel_Colors



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2, 賭ケグルイ | Kakegurui (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Crossover, Debt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gambling, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, M/M, Master/Pet, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastel_Colors/pseuds/Pastel_Colors
Summary: Hajime is trying to gamble enough money to keep his family afloat but, gets himself into more debt thanks to Nagito Komaeda.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 26
Kudos: 164





	1. Prologue

The Hinata family was never rich. Far from it, in fact. In their youth, Hyuji and Sara Hinata had spent away their profits on their gambling addiction. Despite being in great debt, they decided to bring two new lives into this world. Their sons Izuru and Hajime, seven years apart, lived in a world where nothing would last. No amount of money stayed for more than a month. The only things that stayed around were each other. 

Eventually, Hyuji came to his sense and tried to quit gambling but his wife, Sara, would not. She spent away their profits on the thin promise that good fortune would turn it all around. She was a gambling freak. Izuru grew up and left the house, never to be seen again, and Hajime? Well, at a young age, he had to work. Working tirelessly to support the family that was failing him. Even after all of that though, Hajime never held ill will to his parents, and for the most part; his childhood was happy with fond memories of his brother and friends. 

His life only took a bad spiral when he accompanied his mother to her regular gambling session and decided to help her out on a bet of 400,000 yen that would certainly put their family in a brief debt if lost. Hajime told his mother to choose a certain set of numbers to bet on; those numbers, except for one, won. They won the last round, escaping a loss by the skin of their teeth, and gained 400,000 yen all because Hajime somehow knew. Sara decided that, from then on, Hajime would start gambling; he didn’t want to but, he knew he had to. 

Hajime became quite a well-known gambler in his little town for how well he could play despite being so young. Word spread of his skills to bigger cities with higher pay-outs and well-known gambling sites. One of those sites was Hope’s Peak Academy; Hope’s Peak was mostly known as the school where the rich and the talented thrive but, there are many smaller areas under their name. These areas are meant to test a person’s skill to see if they qualify to become an Ultimate. 

When they heard of the little gambler boy from the little town, they became intrigued by his skill. Could he become the next Ultimate Gambler? They invited him to visit the city where power roams. He was nervous but, his parents had insisted. Soon enough, he became quite known in that city too. He gambled, winning most, but he always gambled small. Too small to be considered the Ultimate Gambler, however; something else interested the school. His precision, he’s faux confidence, his understanding of when to cheat, when to play fair and when to snitch made him a great gambler none the less. So great, he even beat the Ultimate Strategist. So, they kept him around to see if maybe he’s an Ultimate Analyst or the new Ultimate Strategist instead. 

Then that day came, the day that would effectively change Hajime’s life forever. A new gambler entered the room. Hajime briefly looked up from the slot machine he was currently playing. This person, unlike Hajime, stood out immediately. His messy, white hair and icy teal eyes differentiated him from the crowd and his uniform sported the famous school’s red and green cardigan. He was an Ultimate, but even Ultimates lose. Hajime, frankly, didn’t care. He wasn’t going to challenge this newbie right now. He wasn’t planning to anyway. 

The new boy then spoke. 

“Who is this famous gambler known as Hajime Hinata?” 

His voice was as icy as his eyes. He didn’t sound like a friendly challenger but; Hajime was not one to care about some cocky asshole’s tone. Without even looking up from his slot machine, Hajime raised his hand and answered in a voice etched with satire. 

“That’s me” 

As if the universe was taunting the mystery boy, Hajime just won 40,000 yen from the, usually rigged, slot machine. Hajime, after a brief internal celebration, turned to the challenger; the white-haired boy didn’t seem pleased. Hajime stared blankly at the boy before speaking again. 

“And you are?” 

For a few seconds the boy was quiet but then he spoke, once again. 

“My name is Nagito Komaeda; I’ve heard a lot about you, Hinata-kun. You defeated an Ultimate at his own game,” His face stretched a cocky smile, “To be honest, I don’t know why they let a boring person, such as yourself, in here at all. And for you to shame an Ultimate in his own domain, you have a lot of nerve,” 

Hajime just shrugged; he didn’t really care enough to counter. If that was all, Hajime wouldn’t fall for the taunting. Then, he heard a thud on the ground, Nagito had thrown down a bag that was so full of money that some spilled out. 

“Ten million yen,” Nagito stated, “On a simple game of chance.” 

Is this boy crazy?! Ten million...If Hajime lost, he would be put into debt. There’s no way this guy could actually think that Hajime would accept this. 

“No thanks.” Hajime answered. 

“I had a feeling you would say that, you always low-balled it, so I paid for a little pass.” 

‘Pass’? What is he talking about? Nagito pulled out a gold slip. The fine print said that this was a slip that forces a battle between two people. If the person refuses to fight, they’ll be saddled with the initial debt?! Hajime has to fight this guy?? Is this even legal?? The audacity of this spoil little rich boy! He can’t saddle more debt; his mom does that well enough... He doesn’t have a choice... 

“What game...?” Hajime practically growled. 

Nagito’s smile grew wider, “I Declare War. A simple card game but, we’ll cut it shorter.”, He waved his hand across the room, “You know this place better than I. Can you show me where we’ll be dueling?” 

Hajime started walking to the empty table in the back with Nagito and the many interested spectators in tow. It felt like Hajime was walked down death row; slow and painful. They reached the table and sat in their opposing seats. Nagito then handed Hajime a deck of cards. 

“I want this game to be as fair as possible. So, you shuffle and pass out eight cards; four on each side.” Hajime, silently, did as he was told. 

“Here’s how this version of ‘I Declare War’ works. We have just enough cards to syllabize I De-Clare War. With every syllable, we sacrifice one card of our choosing and at the syllable WAR, we flip over the card we didn’t sacrifice. If we have the same card, we’ll pick four more cards and try again. Whoever has the highest card wins. Sounds fair?” 

Hajime only nodded. He looked at his cards and sacrificed the three. When he lifted his final card, he saw that it was a King! The second strongest card in the game! He has a high chance of winning and getting his family out of debt. It’ll also probably teach that Son-of-a-rich-man some manners. 

“War” They said simultaneously and they put down their final cards. Hajime placed his King and Nagito placed...an Ace?! Of all things to pick, he got an Ace! The only thing that can beat King! Hajime lost...Oh God...He lost 10 million yen. He can’t possibly pay that back! 

“I won! That was close.” Nagito said with a sing-song tone. He walked over to Hajime’s chair and put a hand on the brown-haired boy back, “You can pay that back, can’t you?” 

Silence... 

“...You can’t. That’s why you were always low-balling it.” His smile went back to wicked, “Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Nagito Komaeda, the new Ultimate Lucky Student” Lucky...student...? “Your biggest mistake was letting me choose the game. Had we played a skill-based game; I surely would have lost!” 

Murmurs and whispers echoed across the room. It felt like the room was getting darker. Hajime couldn’t even stand or speak in the fear of throwing up and/or passing out. Nagito pull out something but, Hajime didn’t see what. He didn’t know what to think. How was he going to explain this to his parents? How was he going to pay all that money back?! All of a sudden, he notices Nagito close to his face; too close. 

“You do remember the rules on what happens to those who fall in debt, right?” He put a chain-like necklace around Hajime’s neck, “Puppy?” 

Right...You lose your right as a human and become the winner’s personal pet...Hajime’s looked at the metal tag on the chain. 

**Name: Hajime Hinata**

**Status: Puppy**

**Owner: Nagito Komaeda**

‘Puppy’... Nagito stood up and walked out of the casino, leaving Hajime in pure shock. Hajime just sat there looking at the tag and thinking. 

_What did I get myself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagito, you little shit!


	2. You Pay with Your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime has been given his first command and it's a big one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Lesson on Honorific Titles Used. (This was my interpretation at least)
> 
> Chan: a child-like way to address someone. Like calling a child 'Teko-chan' It can also be used for someone close to you. Like calling your best friend, "Rio-chan" 
> 
> Kun: The typical way you address young boys and teen boys. Like how Nagito calls Hajime "Hinata-kun".
> 
> San: The typical way of addressing someone regardless of age, gender or ranking. Like how Hajime called Nagito, "Komaeda-san" In the middle of chapter 2
> 
> Nii: Usually used with an (o) prefix, Nii means older brother. Not to be confused with Nee, which is older sister. Like how Hajime calls Izuru "Izzy-onii". There are formal and informal ways to call your brother. Hajime uses the more informal way by calling Izuru "Izzy-onii" or "Nii-chan" rather than calling him "Onii-san"
> 
> To: Usually used with an (o) prefix, To means father. There are formal and informal ways to call your father. Hajime uses the more informal way by calling his father "To-san" rather than "Oto-san"
> 
> Ka: Usually used with an (o) prefix, Ka means mother. There are formal and informal ways to call your mother. Hajime, unlike with the rest of his family, uses the formal way by calling his mother "Oka-san" rather than "Ka-san" or "Ka-chan". No, Hajime doesn't respect his mother more; he less comfortable with her so he uses the less comfortable version of mother. 
> 
> Senpai: This means Upperclassmen. However, in this story, a child confused it with San because Hajime is still in school making Hajime, technically, her upperclassmen. She calls Hajime, "Hajime-senpai" It's not incorrect but, it's not usually used.
> 
> Sama: This one is a much higher version of San. It pretty much means "Upper class" or "Above you". Like WAY above you, royalty or God. It can be used by someone who is 'owned' to refer to the 'owner' if the owner has a god complex. You can see where this is going. This will be something Hajime, reluctantly, calls Nagito since Nagito technically owns Hajime.

“You WHAT?!” Hajime’s mother screamed, “You idiot! Do you realize what you just got yourself, got US into?!” 

Hajime knew she would be upset. Who wouldn’t? Ten million yen in debt, all in one night. 

“Oka-san, it wasn’t my fau-” 

“How could this NOT be your fault?!” She interrupted. It’s so annoying when she does that. 

“I didn-” 

“How did you even get yourself into that situation?!” 

“I-” 

“How are we going to pay that off?!” 

“I DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE, OKAY?!” Hajime snapped, “I WAS FORCED INTO THE MATCH! IF YOU WOULD STOP INTERRUPTING ME, I COULD HAVE SAID EARLIER!” 

Sara fell silent. Whether it was from the shock of Hajime snapping or the information he could _finally_ relay; she didn’t say a word. After an angry sigh and a massage of the bridge of her nose, she asked. 

“How. Were you. Forced. Into. A match?” She could barely manage to make a sentence. 

“Hope’s Peak Academy has a special rule that not even I knew about. A pass that could be won or bought. This pass forces one match between any player of their choosing. If the player refuses, they are automatically saddled with the debt of the bet. We would have been in debt regardless.” 

“Is that even legal??” Sara asked; that’s when she noticed the chain around Hajime’s neck. She lifted the chain by the tag and asked, “What is this?” 

“I lost and I can’t pay it back. Because I have a debt to this person, until I can pay it back, I’m seen as their personal property. I have to do everything they say now.” 

Sara looked at Hajime with a look of disgust, Hajime couldn’t tell if it was aimed at him or the tag. 

“How is any of this legal? This isn’t even just servitude; this is slavery. You weren’t given a choice to say no to the deal and now you’re some boy’s ‘puppy’? This can’t be legal!” 

Sara, completely steaming, headed to her computer; she’s the only one who could get a computer, thanks to her job in 3D modeling. This job should have made her a lot of money but, she gambles it all away. Now, that computer only reminds Hajime of how irresponsible his mother is. No time for disappointment right now, Hajime was curious. 

“What are you doing?” He asked. 

Sara had a determined, serious face; she didn’t even look at him as she answered, 

“I’m going to research everything I can about the law and the school’s policies to see if this is legal. I’m not letting my son become some cocky boy’s bitch.” 

While Hajime did appreciate his mom’s attempts to help, he knew she wouldn’t find anything. Hope’s Peak is known for being able to cover up their tracks. They have an excuse for everything; he should know, he used Hope’s Peak’s rules and track record to cheat his way to victories before. He never thought the rules would be used against him. He decided to go to bed. It’s late and he’ll need to be fully awake to figure out what to do next. 

Hajime looked at his phone, scrolling through his contacts. Izuru left four years ago and it’d became a habit for Hajime to try and call his brother whenever he needed help, though Izuru never answered; it was somewhat comforting in a semi-masochistic way. Though, it did leave Hajime wondering why Izuru no longer answered. Did he hate Hajime? Did his parents piss him off so much that he won’t even contact his brother? Or did he just want to move on, maybe he changed his number, or he doesn’t even have a phone anymore. Who knows? 

Hajime’s vision blurred as tears tried to form. The weight of his situation was finally settling in. He put his family in even more debt than his mother already did, and he had no one to turn to for even the slightest bit of support. His mother was angry, his father was sick, his brother never answered. He was alone. Despite how hard he tried to keep the tears at bay, they formed and ran down his cheeks anyway. He gripped his phone. 

“I miss you Izzy-onii... Why did you have to go...?” 

Silent sobs strung throughout the night until the fatigue set in and he finally was able to sleep. Though the peace of a dreamless slumber didn’t last as much as he would’ve liked. He was woken up by the ringing from his phone. Confused and exhausted, Hajime looked at the number; he didn’t recognize it. He let the call go to voicemail, thinking that was the end of it, but the number had left a voice message. 

“Hello there, I believe this number belongs to Hajime Hinata. This is Komaeda from the Hope’s Peak Casino. I believe we have somethings to discuss. Call me back as soon as possible.” 

Dammit, so that wasn’t a dream like he hoped. Hajime sighed, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. He called the number back and they answered. 

“Good Morning,” Nagito said, calm as ever. 

“...Mmmorning. Is this Komaeda-san?” 

“Yes, it is. You sound tired.” 

“It’s 5:30 am and I got to bed at midnight, of course I’m tired,” Hajime answered, a little annoyed. 

“Well then, you should go to bed earlier instead of gambling.” Cocky asshole... “Anyways, I wanted to discuss a few things with you about how this ‘relationship’ of ours in going to work” 

Hajime didn’t even need to see Nagito to know that he was putting air quotes around “relationship”. 

“Like what?” 

“Well like schooling, living quarters, any events or jobs, etcetera.” 

“...What? Aren’t I just going to have to do what you say afterschool, when school starts? How does that change where I live, work or go to school?” 

“Well, I don’t think I should have to be so inconvenienced by where you live and go to school so, you’ll be going to the Reserve Course in Hope’s Peak Academy.” 

“Excuse me, WHAT?!” Now Hajime was pissed, “I have several problems with that! The Reserve Course is expensive! Have you forgotten the very reason why I’m in this situation in the first place?! I can’t afford the Reserve Course! Also, the Casino is far enough from my house, Hope’s Peak is miles away! Commuting to and from is going to be a nightmare! I still have a job I need to go to!” 

“Oh, right. About that...” Nagito’s voice was etched with faux concern, Hajime has faked tones enough to spot when a tone is being faked, “I’ll be paying for your classes. No, this will not add to your debt. You should be grateful for that. As for living and working, you’ll be moving in with me. Hope’s Peak has pretty big dorms so, you can move into mine. Infact, since you’ll have to quit your job, I’ll do you the kindness and pay you for your services as much as a minimum wage employee would be paid. You’ll have to decide where you spend that money and how much of it will go into your debt.” 

“You can’t-” 

“Hinata-kun,” Nagito interrupted, “I don’t think you’re in the position to argue with me. I don’t want any excuses, just give me a date to expect you.” 

Hajime was speechless; he was going to live with Nagito, the very person that caused all of this? He didn’t know what to say. He looked at the date on his phone. Thursday, August 27. School starts November 6... Hajime can’t argue for now so, he just has to do what he’s told until he can get some form of leverage. 

“How about the 30th of this month? A week before school; is that okay?” 

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll send a car for you on the 30th. Don’t worry about telling me your address, the school already provided me with that.” 

“Okay...” 

“Alright, see you then.” Nagito hung up. 

There were so many emotions flowing through Hajime at that point; all negative. His anger and frustration consumed him, and he started punch the wall. He only stopped when his knuckles started to bleed then he screamed into his pillow, getting blood all over the pale blue pillow cover. Even after that, he was still angry. He wanted to break something, but that’s too expensive. He wanted to throw a tantrum, but that’s too childish. So, he bottled it up. That’s all he could do. 

He forced himself to calm down before leaving his room to tell his parents the news. 

… 

Three days passed so quickly. He barely realized that it was the 30th, He finished up packing his bags before going outside and waiting for that dreaded car to arrive. Nagito said it was going to be a limo, which would definitely stand out in this poor little town. He felt like he was waiting on the police to come and take him away; it really kept him down in the dumps. 

“Hajime-senpai!” 

A little girl approached him, snapping him out of his depressing stupor, he recognized her. That was Yua, the daughter of the Mio family that lived just down the street. Her father was a fellow employee of the store Hajime worked in and a regular at the casino. He was always a good sport and a good friend to his mom. Yua still doesn’t understand the difference between –san and –senpai and Hajime stopped trying to explain it to her. She gave him a basket full of little treats and trinkets. 

“Thank you, Yua-chan. Did your mother make these?” 

“The whole town did!” She replied, “We wanted to send you things to remember us by.” 

“Oh,” He didn’t realize that the town cared that much. A part of him thought they hated him for getting as far as he did. “Thank you. These are really nice.” 

“No problem! Have a nice trip, Senpai!” She called out while walking back home. 

“Thanks...” 

A ‘trip’... Hajime wished it would be just a trip. Soon, the limousine pulled into his street and stopped at his house. Was it time to go already? 

“Hinata? Hajime Hinata?” The limo driver called. 

Hajime sighed, “That’s me.” 

He got up and started heading to the car while the driver told his luggage to back but, before Hajime could. 

“Hajime...” A sickly voice called out. Barely loud enough for him to hear. 

“To-san!” Hajime ran up to his father, “You’re not well, you should be in bed.” 

“Can’t an old man say ‘bye’ to his youngest?” Hyuji asked with a barely stretched out smile. 

“To-san...” Hajime hugged his father, it’d hurt too much to say anything, “I promise, I’ll still be able to provide for you and Oka-san." 

Hyuji laughed, his voice hoarse and tired, “Always thinking of others. You’re a good man, Hajime.” 

“Thanks,” Hajime said before letting go and walking back to the limo, “...Say ‘bye’ to Oka-san for me, please.” 

“Will do.” 

Hajime hopped into the limo and watched as his little home got farther away from him. All the townspeople waved from their houses and Hajime waved back, even though he was sure they couldn’t see him do so. Soon enough, his tiny town got farther and farther away until he couldn’t see it anymore. 

… 

He finally made it to Hope’s Peak Academy. A school he never thought that he would step into. The limo driver took out his small amount of luggage and drove away. Hajime grabbed his luggage and made it to the gate. Unsurprisingly, there was a gatekeeper. An older man, watching a show. When he noticed Hajime’s presence, he sat up straight, took out a big binder and spoke. 

“State your name.” 

“Hajime Hinata” 

“Reserve Course?” 

“Yes, well kind of...” 

He checks over his list again. Going through it meticulously, probably trying to figure out why a Reserve Course student is at the main gate. 

“Ooh, are you here to see Nagito Komaeda?” 

“...Yes.” 

The old man goes towards the phone and types in a set of numbers. 

“Nagito Komaeda? Yeah, Hajime Hinata is here as you requested. Where do I send him? Your room? Okay.” 

The man gets out of his tiny workspace and unlocks a gated door, next to the main gate. He then points to a separate building to the left of the school. 

“You see that building? Those are the dorms. Good to the Room 53. It’s on the fifth floor so, I’d use the elevator with your luggage.” He hands Hajime a pair of keys, “It’ll be the third room as soon as you leave the elevator. Got it?” 

“I got it” Hajime replied before walking to the dorm room. 

Fifth floor, third room... He unlocks the door to the room labeled Room 53 on it, and... Woah. Nagito wasn’t kidding when he said that these dorms are big. The very living room seems bigger than Hajime’s old house. He started gawking at how big and spacious the house was as he slowly made his way to the couch of the living room. 

“Ah, You’re finally here.” A familiar voice said. 

“Komaeda-san...yeah, I’m here.” 

“I hope your ride was smooth and nothing of yours was damaged,” Before Hajime could answer, his eyes locked onto the basket, “What’s that?” 

“My town gave me parting gifts.” 

“How sweet.” He said but, something in his voice sounded different, “Anyways, let me show you around.” 

Hajime followed Nagito around as Nagito explained each room in an annoying amount of detail ending in Hajime’s new bedroom. The bedroom, like the rest of the house, was big and luxurious. Maybe a bit too big, it’s a lot. 

“And that’s the end of the tour.”  
“Thanks, Komaeda-san.” 

“Oh, and that’s another thing.” He spoke. 

Hajime was a little confused by that. 

“What do you mean?” 

Nagito, coming from behind, put his head on Hajime’s shoulder and folded his arms around Hajime’s waist. Oh no, he’s a touchy person, Hajime doesn’t like being touched so casually. 

“The way you call me ‘Komaeda-san’ is usually reserved for those of a similar status. You and I have an odd but, still namable ‘relationship’.” Hajime hated how sultry Nagito’s voice got when tries to get what he wanted; it’s disturbing. 

“I’m _not_ calling you Senpai. You and I are of the same grade. You are not my upperclassman.” Hajime hissed. 

“That’s not the name either and you know it Hajime,” Nagito said using Hajime’s given name. It’s true, Hajime knew exactly what Nagito wants out of him and he would give in but, not without showing this asshole that Hajime wasn’t going to just sit around and obey that easily. 

Nagito gently lifted and turned Hajime’s chin, now they’re staring at each other, face to face. 

“What? You want me to call you ‘Nagito’?” Hajime teased. 

“Hajime...” His voice sounded a little annoyed. The hand that was once on Hajime’s chin was now gripping the tag, it made a little jangling sound, “Let’s try this one more time. I know you’re testing my patience on purpose. Now that you had your little fun, say my name properly.” His voice went a little dark. Hajime quite enjoyed pushing this cocky boy’s buttons but decided that it was time to stop. He sighed. 

“Fine, Komaeda-sama.” 

Nagito’s face went back to a neutral smile, “Good boy.” 

And once again Nagito left Hajime alone to figure himself out. He’s going to need to wash his face 10 times to get the feeling of Nagito hands off his chin... 

“Asshole...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagito is STILL being a little shit. But, Hajime has got some sass.


	3. Lucky Gambles and Kind Actions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long! Christmas break!
> 
> Also Happy New Year.

It had been a few weeks since Hajime’s enslavement had begun. In those few weeks, the two boys had covered some ground rules in order to make things work, in other words, Nagito sent up the rules and Hajime made some well needed boundaries. 

One of these rules was that Hajime would need to clean the house for his thousand yen per day. Apparently, this would save Nagito a lot of money knowing some of that thousand yen is going back to him instead of in the pockets of a maid. Hajime, frankly, didn’t care what this guy’s reasoning was; he was getting money every week. Now Hajime did the math and with that salary, if every yen went back to Nagito (which Hajime knew wouldn’t happen), it would take Hajime about thirty years to pay off his debt. Yeah, _**fuck that**_ , Hajime was going to find another source of money and while it does make him a bit nervous to try such a risky move, he’s just going to have to do what he does best; he’s going to have to gamble and gamble big. Not ten million big but, more than his puny five-thousand. 

Well, other than Nagito, things have been somewhat smooth. The basket his neighbors made for him had all sorts of trinkets and even little Yua made him something. A little rock in the shape of a six-pointed star and painted blue; she calls it the “Hope Fragments”. What a cute name. He also made some friends at his new school. Most of the kids were boring but, two of them stood out. One of them was a girl named Natsumi Kuzuryu, yes THAT Kuzuryu from the yakuza, apparently her brother is in the main course; Nagito confirmed that. The other was named Sato, she never told Hajime her last name, something about her seemed fragile like, at any moment, she could snap but; she’s also a kind and quiet girl with an odd obsession on a main course girl named “Mahiru Koizumi”. 

Huh, he befriended a yakuza and a girl with an obsession while currently being under the “ownership” of an asshole with a god complex, he really attracts the weirdos. Welp, it’s better than no one right? Well, maybe no one is better than servitude but, the girls are fine. Not like he has much time to hang out with them anyway thanks to his “job”. A job he’s currently doing. The dorm was almost done and all he needed to do was scrub the floors and check on the laundry. In the beginning, this house was overwhelming with its size but, as Hajime got used to it, he became faster. Now, he can clean the whole house in under two hours once he knows what to clean and where to clean. Today, however, was one of his slightly longer days so he finished at 6:30 pm rather than 5:30 pm like usual. 

He was a bit distracted, wondering how much of his money he’ll have to split to his family and to his debt. Bills are due so he’ll have to give more money to his family to make up whatever extra money his mom spent in blind foolishness. On top of that, the casino is closed for the week for maintenance. At least the outside slot machines were still available. Oh wait, didn’t he win 50,000 yen at the previous gambling event? Wait...never mind. He already split the money half to his family and half to his debt. 

Well, no point in moping around, time to gamble. As he was about to leave his room, something fell. It was that star Yua made for him. Hajime picked it up. 

“Heh, maybe this could be a good luck charm.” He said with a smile and put the disheveled rock in his coat. He grabbed his hat, put on his shoes and left the apartment complex to visit the casino. 

… 

Time flies when you’re desperately trying to win against an unfairly rigged machine. People came, people went, people briefly talk, people smoked, people flirted (not with him, thank god) and fought, it was all normal. Hajime was used to this. Hajime was so absorbed in his game that his only hint at time passing was dank smell of weed and the loud incoherent dribble of intoxication filling the air, giving off the impression that it was getting a bit late. He still played, however, until his phone rang. It was Nagito. 

“Hello?” Hajime answered. 

“Where are you? You’ve been gone for hours. If you were going to disappear into the night, you should have warned me.” 

“Sorry ‘Oka-san’,” Hajime mocked, “If I knew you would have been this concerned, I would have warned you. But don’t you come here at night? Why are you suddenly so concerned when I do it?” 

“...I always have a paid bodyguard or two and plus, I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student. I’ll always find my way home.” 

“Fair enough.” 

“Now come back.” Nagito insisted, “It’s getting dark.” 

“Sure, sure” Hajime hung up the phone and started packing his things up and found the Hope Fragment thing Yua made. He looked at the slot machine. Something in him was still telling him to give it one last chance. Would one more turn hurt? 

Gripping the Hope Fragments in his hands, he puts in twenty-five more yen and gives it one last spin. He closed his eyes and gripped the rock tight waiting for the wheel to stop click with each panel that shifts on the machine interface and then, a loud and long ringing sound was heard. Hajime opened his eyes to find that he won a jackpot! 100,000 yen! Hajime sat there, shocked. The check printed out and he grabbed it. He then looked at the rock, maybe this is a good luck charm after all. 

Happily, he packed the rest of his belongings and started walking home. Though, he felt the disgruntled eyes of players that didn’t get as lucky and even felt like some of them were following him, he shook it off as paranoia. He got to the nearest train station and looked at the times. The later ones were 9:00 pm, 10:00pm, 11:00pm is a break for them apparently, 12:00am so on and so forth. Hajime looked at his phone to see what time it is. It was 10:02pm, he just missed the 10:00pm train and now has to wait an hour for the next one. What an exchange for the Jackpot he just got. Is that the kind of luck Nagito has? 

… 

He finally made it home at about 11:35 pm. He unlocked the door to his dorm and walked in; he could barely take off his shoes before Nagito appeared. For a few seconds, they were quiet but, Hajime decided to break to silence. 

“Hi Komaeda-sama, sorry I got back so late, I missed the 10 o’ clock train.” 

“...How? It was 9:50 when I called. I’ve walked to and from that train often; it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes.” 

“I played one more round of the slot machine...” Hajime admitted, “I had gotten nothing, and I had a good feeling about the last round.” 

Nagito seemed annoyed, “Okay then, what did you win that was so worth an extra hour in one of the shadiest parts of the city?” 

Hajime pulled out his receipt and said “100,000 yen” 

Nagito read the receipt and his face softened a bit, “Oh...well, that’s unexpected. Good job, I guess.” 

“Thanks” 

Silence... The silence was tense and awkward. Hajime could tell that Nagito wanted to scold him some more, but with his big win, it would be quite hard to call it a “waste of time” or, at least, that’s what Hajime thought he would want to call it. Whatever he was going to said he never said, instead, he simply gave back the receipt and said, 

“Well... Good night, I guess.” 

“Night...” 

They both walked to their separate rooms and Hajime put his little good luck charm back onto his dressing table, then flopped into bed. 

Geez, what a tense night... 

… 

It’s the weekend, finally. Those tests really do push you and Hajime is not that great in Biology. He decided to get an early start on the cleaning so he can have the rest of his day to himself, that and he always spends a good hour on the kitchen alone so, he needs to get it started. When it was done, Hajime was super proud of it. He always loved a clean kitchen and yet... Nagito went into his kitchen, took out and made himself a coffee and a bowl of rice...getting rice all over his newly...cleaned...counters... 

Hajime immediately shoved this guy out of the kitchen. 

“I spent an hour and a half on this kitchen, you will not mess it up any further than you already have.” Hajime warned. 

Nagito didn’t seem to care and even gained an evil smile on his face. He walked back into the kitchen and dumped his entire bowl of rice onto the carpet! The Goddamn _CARPET!_ Hajime just stared in disbelief at how passive aggressive, disrespectful and most of all WASTEFUL this man was. That rice he so casually wasted could have been someone in his town’s meal! Hajime couldn’t tell if he was angrier at the mess of his newly cleaned kitchen or at the waste of a perfectly good meal when someone else out there have so much less. Regardless, he was angry. 

"Are you serious...?" Hajime growled.

“You wanna fuck with MY kitchen and waste perfectly good food?” He yells, “Fine then!” 

In a fit of pure rage, Hajime physically dragged Nagito by the collar of his shirt. Unfortunately for Nagito, Hajime was stronger and dragged him out of the apartment and quickly locked the door. 

“Go be pig-ish somewhere else!” Hajime screamed before walking away from the door. Nagito was pounding at the door for about 10 minutes before giving up; Hajime assumed he left. He felt a little bad for practically locking Nagito out of his own dorm but, that waste and mess really got to him. Speaking of mess, he should really clean up the mess Nagito made. Maybe it will help him cool down. 

… 

Another 30 minutes were spent constantly shaking the rug and sweeping up rice and wiping down the rice on the counter until everything was clean again followed by a quick hour-long nap. Now that he was cooler headed, he was going to find Nagito and let him back in the dorm. Hajime unlocked the dorm and looked around. No one was there so, he left and decided to travel the actual school. 

Hope’s Peak Academy. 

It didn’t take long to find him. Near what looks to be a cafeteria, he could hear voices. Was that Nagito? 

“-en he just up and DRAGGED me out of my home! Over a little rice!” 

Yup, that’s Nagito alright. 

“Dear Shakira!” A boy with a heavy accent screamed...for some reason, “I completely agree with your friend Komaeda! You wasted perfectly good food AND messed up a perfectly clean kitchen! Not even an hour after he cleaned it too!” 

“Yeah, that’s kinda shitty,” Another boy with a more laid-back voice said, “I’ll admit, locking you out was extreme but, so was purposely ruining their work.” 

Hajime just listened in to their conversation as a good few boys and girls debate on whether Hajime was in the right or was in the wrong. He was listening so intensively that he didn’t realize someone was looking right at him until he looked up to see a silver haired girl with piercing red eyes. 

“Why are you spying on us?” 

Hajime screamed at the sudden interaction and ran right into a wall like a silly cartoon character. His mind went blank for a second or two before it cleared up again to see a bunch of people staring at him and that same lady dragging him in the kitchen by his arms. 

“He was spying on us, very badly I might add.” The silver haired lady said. 

“Haj-Hinata-kun, what are you doing here?” 

Hajime’s mind was swirling but, he had enough cognitive thought to realize that Nagito didn’t tell his friends their actual situation. That was probably better for them. 

“Looking for you, Komaeda-san.” Hajime got up, trying to stand up straight without falling over, the silver haired girl had a grip on Hajime’s shoulder; it helped to keep him up. “I unlocked the door to the house; I was trying to find you and tell you that.” 

Nagito sighed and took Hajime back through the school. The walk was silent and awkward. When they finally made it to their home, Hajime started to walk to the exit. 

“Where are you going?” Nagito asked. 

“Shopping. We’re low on some supplies,” Hajime said, “Do you want me to get anything?” 

“With what money?” Nagito asked, blatantly ignoring Hajime’s question. 

“Yours? You agreed to pay for the food.” 

“Fair...” Nagito said begrudgingly, “I’ll come with you.” 

Great... 

They went out to a nearby market. Hajime and Nagito were in the mood for some fresh food. There were apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, and much more. Not just fruit; there’s bread and some meats and even some cute little knick knacks. Hajime and Nagito don’t need much, just some fruits, a little bread, _rice_... The shopping itself was somewhat smooth but, awkward with how little they talked. After about an hour, they finished and were heading home but, then Hajime spotted a sad site. 

A little boy begging for money. He was skin and bones... Something in Hajime’s heart hurt badly. 

“Hajime?” 

“Hey umm, how much were the apples and rice?” 

“Uhh...4,000 yen,” Nagito read off the receipt, “...why?” 

Hajime went through his current winnings. He still has 80,000 yen after giving 20,000 to his family for bills and to help his town. He wrote a check to Nagito for 4,000 yen. Nagito looked at Hajime confused. 

“This doesn’t go to my debt.” Hajime said and walked over to the little boy. The tiny boy looked at him and held up his sign. 

“Money for a poor mom and son” was the sign. 

“...Here you go.” Hajime said and held the food out to the boy. 

The boy’s eyes lit up and he took the bag of apples and rice. 

“Thank you!” The boy said excitedly. 

Hajime smiled and walked back to Nagito and he still looked perplexed. As they started to walk back to the market, Nagito asked. 

“Why did you do that?” 

“...I know what it’s like to not have everything I wanted. I know what’s it’s like to be in danger but, I never knew what it’s like to go hungry or to be homeless. I’ve always wanted to be helped so we can get somewhere safer so, I want to help someone less fortunate. Simple as that,” Hajime said simply. 

Nagito’s confused face softened, “How noble.” 

Nagito muttered something under his breath.

"What did you say?" Hajime asked.

"Nothing."

There was still no conversation but the air, somehow, cleared up a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Nagito is going to act a little softer from now on.


	4. Angels and Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry for being late. But with school, I might slow down a bit...
> 
> Also, New Word  
> Sensei: It pretty much means teacher.

“How noble,” Nagito said. His opinion of Hajime softened, “Just like an...” 

“What did you say?” Hajime asked. 

“Nothing!” Nagito was surprised Hajime heard him. 

… 

It’s been three months since Hajime moved in and Nagito felt a bit differently about him. Nagito didn’t see him as anything more than an average guy who shouldn’t have even tried to challenge an Ultimate, much less actually win, but; he just couldn’t tell how he felt about Hajime. He knew a few things about Hajime; he’s noble, humble, not one to easily take orders, and if you push the wrong buttons, he can be a bit aggressive. That, however, was not enough to justify this confusing feeling Nagito has every time he saw Hajime. 

For the last month or so, Nagito had been quite frustrated. He couldn’t get his mind off Hajime and that annoyed him. Hajime was a nobody with too much ego and yet he was running circles around Nagito’s thoughts. 

“Komaeda? Are you paying attention?” Nagito’s teacher, Chisa Yukizome, asked. Nagito raised his head, confused. Did he really space out in class again? Everyone was looking at him now... Maybe he could get himself out of this situation. 

“Yes, Yukizome-sensei.” Nagito lied. 

“Okay then, what were we talking about?” 

“Uhh...” Nagito decided to say the last lesson he remembered and prayed that it was this current lesson, “Integer. Like negative 2. And how numbers like 4 are the square root of both 2 and negative 2.” 

Chisa’s face softened a bit, “Okay, so you were paying attention. Good. Just keep your head up; you look like you were spacing out.” 

“Yes, Sensei.” Nagito said as he silently thanked his luck. 

The rest of the day went by the same. It was hard to stay focused but, he made it through. Finally, the last bell rang, and he started packing up his things. 

“Oh, and Komaeda?” Chisa called. 

“Yes, Yukizome-sensei?” 

“Kamukura-san called you to his office.” 

“Oh.” 

Izuru Kamukura is the one of the few assistants that report directly to the principal. He’s also the teacher to class 76 and an advisor to the Student Council. In other words, he’s got connections. On top of that, he’s one of the youngest assistants or even hires of the school; getting hired at 18 and becoming quite powerful as 21. Rumor has it that he abandoned his family for this opportunity or that his family died seeing as he never mentions them. Rumor has it that he has sharp red eyes and long black hair. Some even think he’s not fully human and could be a _demon_ but, only a fool would believe that. Why would someone as powerful as him want to talk to someone as lowly as Nagito? 

Nagito finished packing and started heading to his office. Nagito does sometimes walk around the school but, never dared to walk down the hallway that led to Kamukura’s office. No one ever did. He was just one of those people you never disturb. The hallway seemed so dark but, that was probably because of Nagito’s own nerves playing tricks in his head. Finally, after what felt like hours, he reached the end of the hallway and Izuru Kamukura’s door. 

Nagito knocked and someone unlocked the door. With a deep breathe, he entered. It felt like entering a lion’s den. The room was dark, as in the lights were dimmed, and neat to an extraordinary rate. You couldn’t find something wrong if you tried. The only thing slightly out of place was a little picture on his work desk. It was of two children, a dark-haired boy with red eyes that Nagito assumed was Kamukura himself; he was neutral faced and holding a baby who had green and red eyes. There was a slight red light on a desk in the back of this, relatively big, office. And there he was, sitting at his desk typing away. Izuru Kamukura. How did he get from the door to his desk so fast? 

“Kamukura-senpai?” Kamukura wasn’t his teacher but ‘San’ didn’t seem high enough for someone of his status. So, ‘Senpai’ seemed like a good middle ground. 

Silence... Kamukura didn’t even turn to look at him. He just kept typing. 

“I-uhh got your request to-” Kamukura cut him off with a hand to signal to stop talking. Nagito, being slightly headstrong, didn’t like getting cut off but said nothing. He was _not_ embarrassing himself in front of someone that radiates hope like Kamukura. When Kamukura seemed to be done with his work, he turned off his program and faced Nagito. The red light of the lamp made him look more menacing... At least Nagito could say the rumor about the red eyes and black hair were true. 

“...Nagito Komaeda, right?” 

“Uhh right!...what did you call me here for?” Nagito asked quietly. 

Kamukura pulled up a different tab on his computer. 

“Look at this for a second.” 

Nagito went up to Kamukura’s desk and looked at the tab. It was Hajime’s profile? Why, of all people, was he paying any attention to Hajime? That boy was even lower than Nagito himself. Sure, it was Kamukura’s job to check all the profiles of all the reserve students since he oversaw the Reserve Course as a whole but, why was Hajime’s profile special? 

“Now normally, it wouldn’t make a difference to me who gets into the Reserve Course but, how they get in is often seen as interesting. It seems that you paid for him to get in; can I ask why?” 

Oh...that’s why. That makes more sense. 

“He lost a gamble to me. 10 million yen. He got himself into debt, not that he had much choice in the gamble; and I requested he stay here until he can pay it off.” 

“Hmm...” Something about his face changed ever-so-slightly before going back to plain neutral, “That’s quite a cocky move. Not like he had a chance to win; I’ve heard about you, you are the Ultimate Lucky Student so, you probably challenged him to a luck-based game. So, rather than ask why you chose to be risky, I’ll ask what your goal was? Why did you challenge him?” 

“He defeated an Ultimate... I wanted to keep him in line.” Nagito said somewhat confidently. He still believed that someone needed the talentless in check. 

“Komaeda... you seem confident. Do you not realize how pointless your endeavor was?” 

Huh...? Pointless? 

“He’s already made an impact. Even if your little lesson made his reputation drop, he has already shown that the talentless can beat the talented. All you did was force a boy into a challenge that he probably would have refused otherwise, ruin his life and send him and his family in serious debt that they probably can never pay back. All for an impact that never will reach.” 

His gaze was so sharp and cold but, his facial expression looked so bored and uncaring. Nagito had only seen that look once before; it was on Hajime, when Nagito forced him into a battle, his eyes shown with an impossibly cold edge and disgust that he wouldn’t dare express on his face in front of others. Their faces matched exactly but, it seems much more powerful on someone with so much authority like Kamukura ...How could he so easily make Nagito feel so small, so...wrong? Was Nagito wrong...? 

“Anyways, that all I wanted to see you for. You are excused.” 

Nagito left immediately, he felt so wrong in that office. He never wanted to go down that hallway again. As if he needed another reason for Hajime to on his mind... Now Nagito was feeling guilty and confused about how they looked so similar in that moment. As he was walking home, he felt someone bump into him. It wasn’t a hard bump; he wasn’t running after all. 

“Oh, sorry Komaeda-san.” Chiaki, his classmate, said in her usual tired voice. 

“It’s fine but, you should probably watch where you’re going.” Nagito said, trying to keep a normal face, “You don’t want to have to bump into trash like me again.” 

“Don’t call yourself trash...Anyways, I was hanging out with your roommate earlier; why didn’t you tell me he was a fan of arcade games? It’s nearly impossible to talk to someone my age about games so old. It was nice to get a chance to.” 

“I didn’t think to.” This is the second time Hajime had the gall to go to the main school. Nagito was pretty sure that wasn’t allowed without permission. Well, technically, he _does_ have permission... he lives there... Doesn’t matter. 

“I have to go, Nanami-san. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. See you tomorrow.” 

Nagito waved and left. 

Finally! He made it home. He wanted to just lay down and sleep; get his mind away from it all. Hajime was still cleaning. He was sweeping the living room. Tensions faded between them weeks ago but that’s when those... thoughts appeared in his head. He tried to shake them off. 

Hajime didn’t seem to notice him yet. He decided to hug Hajime from the back, like he something does. This time, however, Hajime seemed to panic, trying to squirm away. Automatically, Nagito squeaked harder, 

“Hey, calm down, it’s just me.” 

Nagito then realized that continuing to hug Hajime was probably not smart and let him go. Hajime took a few steps back. 

“Sorry, just...don’t sneak up on me. Give me a warning next time.” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Where were you, anyways? You’re not usually gone so long.” Hajime asked. 

Was he really gone that long? Well, he did do a bit of a walk around both to and from Kamukura’s office 

“I was called by one of the teachers.” 

“You got in trouble?” 

“I don’t think so?” Nagito lied. He knew he wasn’t in trouble but, he didn’t need Hajime in his business...Speaking of. 

“Hey, do you have any siblings by chance?” Nagito asked. Why was he asking? There is no way those two are related...but, those expressions, they still haunt him. The similarities: when Hajime decided to look a bit more powerful, they looked like they could be brothers. Hajime looked a little solemn. 

“Uhh yeah. I have an older brother, but...he left a long time ago.” 

Could they be...? No, it’s still not proven. 

“Why do you ask?” Hajime looked at Nagito a little suspiciously. 

“I’ve never asked before.” Nagito answered simply. 

Hajime raised an eyebrow to that response but, thankfully, decided not to push the topic. Instead, he went back to sweeping. So, Nagito decided to go to his room thinking that was end of the conversation, before he can make it to the door, he heard Hajime ask something. 

“Do you have siblings? You never talk about your family.” 

“...” Did he really have to bring up that? 

“I have a half-brother. I don’t know him that well though... Apparently his name is Kokichi or something.” He clicked his tongue, “Oto-san's other kid with some other woman.” Nagito may have sounded a little too vicious... 

“You sound a bit angry for someone who doesn’t know him well.” 

“Would you be fine with a kid that is the product of your father’s infidelity?” 

“It isn’t the kid’s fault. He didn’t ask to be born...” Hajime reasoned. 

Nagito didn’t respond. 

“Whatever happened to him?” 

“He ended up being a bastard child, killing his mom at birth. Oto-san didn’t want him. It was only after giving the child up that Oka-san found out about him and...it only spiraled from there.” 

“Oh,” Hajime gained a look of pity...Nagito didn’t want that, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” 

Nagito didn’t want his pity, he didn’t need any pity. 

“Stop looking at me like that... Too many people do it. I don’t need you doing it too.” 

Nagito didn’t wait for a response; he when into his room and shut the door. He really wished Hajime didn’t bring up all those repressed memories. He didn’t even make it to his bed; he just leaned up against the door and hugged his knees before he started crying. 

All those memories that he did his best to push down just came back. His infidelity and abandonment and all she cared about was the fact that he abandoned a child that wasn’t even hers. All the fighting, every time he wanted his mother’s comfort, but she was too busy looking through every orphanage to find his half-brother and Nagito was too cowardly to just talk to her. And then that damned vacation... The day he lost both his parents. For what? Some inheritance he would have gotten anyways... His luck worked in strange ways. 

He felt a scream leave him; he didn’t even have the time to stop it. He couldn’t stop screaming...all the carnage that was once his parents kept playing in his mind. The bloody mess that was once his beloved mother; the woman that sacrificed her dream job to raise him, the woman that did everything to make him happy, the woman that even sacrificed the hair she loved and dyed it white to make him feel normal no matter how much it damaged the hair, was just a body with a decapitated and unrecognizable head ripped clean off her shoulders. 

Then, the headless, bloody body in her simple light blue, blood-stained dress got up and grabbed his shoulders. Is this a dream? Is this just a fucked-up nightmare? It gargled and spewed out drops of blood as if trying to speak but, without a head, it couldn’t. Tiny blood splatters got on his face as the corpse tried to talk. 

“Oka-san...?” Nagito called out. 

“Nagito...” It responded.... No... Not the body, the _head..._ It rolled next to him. It was still unrecognizable. 

“Nagito, hunny. You need to wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” It said softly. Like his mother always did when he had a bad dream, “You’re scaring your friend, you might want to wake up.” 

In the distance, he could hear a voice. That voice got louder and clearer until he could clearly hear it. 

“Komaeda! Wake up!” It was Hajime. He sounded like he was right in front of Nagito. Then Nagito woke up. Hajime was right in front of him, holding his shoulder like how the corpse of his mother did. He looked worried, really worried... 

“...Hajime?” 

“Oh, you’re awake!” Hajime said, relieved. He gave Nagito a hug, “I was getting worried...” 

Nagito couldn’t say anything back... he just hugged back and cried. A part of him thought it was embarrassing and his head hurt from all the crying but, it didn’t matter; the rest of him didn’t care. He felt a warmth, a safety in Hajime’s arms, just like his mother’s... he just wanted to relish in that warmth. 

“I miss her...” He said through all the sobs. 

“Your mother...?” 

“She’s gone! Why did she die but I lived?” he loved his mother. It just wasn’t fair... 

...But what did he expect? She was an angel...and angels must go back to Heaven sometime soon. 

Hajime was being so kind, comforting Nagito in his more...undignified moments. Just like... 

An Angel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn...now I'm starting to feel bad for Nagito...


	5. Visiting...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring is gunna be fun!  
> New Japanese Knowledge:  
> When calling two people with the same family name, call their first name as well.  
> Example: Sara Hinata and Hyuji Hinata is how Nagito is going to refer to Hajime's parents.
> 
> Also a Kotatsu is a heated table that has been in Japanese culture for a while.

One of the few chores Nagito would ever comply to do is laundry. He found the action of folding, specifically, to be quite relaxing and organization was both fun and rewarding. Usually, this action would be done in silence, however, Hajime decided to join Nagito this time. Hajime was doing his own chores, sweeping around the living room to keep it clean. Eventually, Nagito’s curiosity got the better of him. 

“Hajime, do you miss being home?” 

Hajime stopped sweeping, staring off into space. He looked like he needed to think about that. Nagito didn’t expect the silence; he was expecting an immediate ‘yes’ answer so, this piqued his curiosity. 

“I miss some parts of it. I miss all my friends and I miss my parents. The neighbors were nice too and the atmosphere was relaxing. I also miss how small and homely it was but, it does feel nice to not feel obligated to gamble and it feels...safer here. So, I don’t really know.” 

Nagito cocked his head to the side, “Safer?” 

Hajime turned to face him, his face looked a little sad, “Well, when you live in a small town with run down houses and high crime rates and disappearances: you don’t tend to feel safe.” Hajime went back to sweeping, still talking, “But, that’s not all bad. It helps you appreciate what you have and understand what you don’t have. It connects you with your friends and family when you know they might not last and you learn defense skills that can help you in the future.” 

Nagito put the shirt he was folding down on the couch. He often forgets how much danger is actually out there when he knows he can withstand it. He forgets that not everyone has his luck. 

“One of the neighbor kids went missing.” Hajime continued, “Her names was Cloe Mio, she was around my age when she disappeared. The girl was really into gambling. One day, she went out to gamble once again and didn’t return. Her family later found out that she won 100 million yen and some other contestants weren’t happy with that. They kidnapped her and we never saw her since. The part that really rubbed salt in the wound though is the fact that her little sister, Yua, found her ticket but, it was expired. They couldn’t even gain the money to hire a search team or at least move and make sure that their second daughter didn’t meet the same fate because the dealers were too cheap to care...” 

“...How did they react to you then?” Nagito asked. Hajime was a gambler and a good one. If their daughter’s success is what took her away, how would they react to Hajime? A boy who's a similar age doing a similar thing. 

“Which reaction?” Hajime asked sarcastically but, there a hint of sadness in his tone, “When her mother found out that Oka-san forced me into gambling, she was furious. She actually fought with my mother about this.” At this point, Hajime was done sweeping so, he just stood there and talking, “I still remember the words she used, ‘How could you send your son into the world like that? He’s only 11. Have you learned nothing from my daughter?’” 

Hajime was 11 when he started gambling? That’s insanely early! 

“When I lost to you and had to move. Mio-san said nothing to my mom. But to me, she apologized. My guess is that this reminded her of her own daughter getting taken away...” 

A wrenching feeling of guilt swirled in Nagito’s stomach. Kamukura’s words repeated in his head. All he did was ruin Hajime’s life and tear his family apart... Nagito forced those feelings down. 

“Oh, that reminds me!” Hajime walked over and sat on the other side of couch, “I wanted to ask, can I visit my family for spring break? I really want to see them again and while my family knows I’m okay with the weekly calls; this would serve as a way to confirm that I’m not harmed or dead to the rest of the town.” 

Nagito felt that pit in his stomach rise as this reminds him that Hajime is a noble person. Of course, he would care about the people in his town. Well, guess this is the least Nagito can do. 

“I don’t see why not. I’ll arrange the trip for March 20th,” Nagito pulled out his phone to start making plans for a two-person trip. It was the 17th so he definitely had enough time to pack what he needs and book a hotel. Hajime notices the planning. 

“Oh, you want to come with me?” 

...Was this boy serious? Nagito couldn’t help but to give Hajime a look. Hajime looked confused. 

“What?” 

“Hajime, you just described your home as ‘unsafe’ right?” 

“Yeah?” Hajime still seemed confused. 

“And, by now, a good few people know that you’re...what the right word? ‘Associated’ with me. And the only reason why nothing has happened is because I always accompany you on your endeavors now and thus my luck gets us home safely.” 

“Yeah...?” He’s still confused but looks like he’s starting to get it. God, Hajime can be so dense sometimes. 

“So, if I leave you in an unsafe, unsecure town without my luck; you will most likely get kidnapped and ransomed for money.” 

“.... Yeah...” Now, he’s got it. Hajime leaned back on the couch; he’s making a face like he finally understands how much of an idiot he is, “Sorry, I’m dense...” 

Nagito couldn’t help but giggle, it was kind of cute seeing Hajime like this. It made him seem more understandable; like they could talk like normal people. Nagito knew that them not talking like normal people wasn’t all, or even mostly, Hajime’s fault, but Nagito didn’t know how to change so, it was nice to find an opening rather than having to create one. 

“But is it possible to stay with my parents rather than a hotel? It would feel more familiar to me and plus, I don’t want to seem too fancy. My neighborhood in very small and run down so it would feel like bragging to go to a hotel.” 

Nagito didn’t like that idea. He’d rather stay in a hotel but, safety-wise, there was nothing wrong. There was no way he was leaving Hajime alone. 

Nagito sighed, “Sure, but no going out at night. I mean it.” 

“Yes Oka-san.” Hajime said sarcastically, hands raised in dramatic defense, “Now let’s get folding; I’m done sweeping so I can fold my clothes.” Hajime picked up an old, buttoned shirt that Nagito remembered was a part of his old uniform. Nagito briefly wondered why Hajime kept his old uniform, did he like his old school that much? Well, that was none of Nagito’s business. He decided to pick up his own shirt and continued to fold. 

With Hajime helping, the work went by very quickly; Hajime was very efficient at folding, even more so than Nagito. That with the fact that Hajime didn’t have many clothes to begin with make it, so Hajime finished folding first. He offered to help Nagito fold but, he refused. So, Hajime sat on the couch in silence. The silence was first tense and awkward but, after a bit, became relaxing. Nagito was folding one of his last shirts when he felt weigh on his left shoulder and soft snoring. 

Hajime fell asleep... Great... Nagito tried to reach another item to fold but the shift made Hajime stir so, Nagito stopped. He couldn’t even reach the remote to watch some TV or his phone. Really the only options were to wait or wake Hajime up. Nagito was about to but... Hajime looked so peaceful. There was always a tense look on Hajime’s face when he was awake so, it was a novelty to see him look so at ease. 

It was kind of...cute. 

… 

Nagito woke up to the sound of notification. He stirred, trying to lean up but a weight other than drowsiness was keeping him down. It was Hajime, he was still asleep. Somehow, when he fell asleep, he ended up laying on the couch with Hajime on top of him. When did he fall asleep? Another notification grabbed his attention. His phone was nowhere near him so that must be Hajime’s phone. A third notification, with better focus from Nagito, directed his attention to Hajime’s back pocket. 

He knew he shouldn’t snoop through Hajime’s phone but, curiosity was eating at him. A fourth notification made Hajime stir. Whoever was messaging him was really persistent; it could be an emergency, that’ll be the excuse Nagito used. 

He grabbed Hajime’s phone and first turned-on silent mode as to not disturb Hajime. Then he read the messages. There were a lot of them. All from Hajime’s mother in increasing degrees of panic. Nagito better message back to ease her worry. He tried to go to messages and found Hajime had a password... of course... There was also a missed call, maybe it’s possible to call her back without having to go through Hajime’s phone. That’s how it worked with Nagito’s. 

Nagito used the ‘call back’ function on the missed call and the phone started ringing. Soon, the number was picked up but, before Nagito could get a word out, a woman started screeching through the phone. 

“Where were you?! Why did it take you three hours to answer me?!” The woman screamed; her booming voice hurt Nagito’s ears. He doesn’t like noise people, but he has to be understanding, “Hajime, I swear if you don’t start explaining I’m gunna-”, Nagito had enough of this abuse on his ears. 

“Ma’am, can you please lower your voice?” 

The lady went silent for a few seconds before talking again in a thankfully moderate tone, “Who are you? You’re not Hajime.” 

“My name is Nagito Komaeda. I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Hajime is sleeping right now.” 

“Oh...it’s you.” There was an obvious hateful tone to her voice, she didn’t even try to hide it, “Actually, it’s probably you answered, I wanted to discuss with you. How dare you make my son call you ‘sama’?! You spoiled little rich boy! You think just because you have money and talent means you are a god above us all?” Despite the rudeness from this lady, Nagito had to admit she was right. After all the animosity settled and after Kamukura harsh awakening, Nagito felt awkward having Hajime call him that. 

“He doesn’t call me that anymore. Hajime now refers to me by ‘san’ not ‘sama’.” 

“And that’s another thing!” The woman continued, loudly, “Since when were you friendly enough with him for you to call him by his given name?! Huh?!” This woman is so bitter... no wonder Hajime never talked about her. 

“Ma’am, your son is still sleeping, keep your voice down.” 

“DON’T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU LITTLE-” Nagito hung up. That lady was starting to annoy him and while there were people that he would be willing to take this from, she was not one of them. He quickly put the phone on Night Mode to prevent future calls and slipped it back into Hajime’s pocket. 

“At least I know where Hajime gets his attitude from...” Spring was going to be fun... Nagito was quickly regretting agreeing to stay the night. He pets Hajime’s hair softly; it isn’t as spikey as it looks, and it gave Nagito something to do. He let himself think about how this trip is going to go and silently prays that it goes better than that phone call. 

… 

They finally made it. The quaint little town that Hajime lived in. It was small...very small. The main course building of Hope’s Peak alone could probably take up a good 2/3rds of this town. Hajime seemed to be happy though, and that’s what matters. He’d better be happy since Nagito is going to have to deal with his monster of a Mom for the entire week just for him. 

“Hajime-senpai! You’re back!” 

A little girl with dark blue hair and a simple pink dress ran up to Hajime and gave him a hug. 

“Yua-chan!” Hajime hugged the girl back. So, this is the ‘Yua Mio’ Hajime talks about. 

“Are you done with your trip? Ka-san wanted to talk to you when you got back!” The little girl said excitedly. 

“Oh...no, I’m sorry. The trip is really long, I just came back to visit.” Well, that’s not totally a lie. Yua’s face dropped. 

“Oh...do you have enough time to talk to Ka-san?” She finally noticed Nagito’s presence, “And who’s that?” 

“Of course, I do,” Hajime answered, “and that’s my...friend. Nagito Komaeda.” 

Yua waves excitedly at Nagito, she seems to have a lot of energy, “Nice to meet you Nagito-Senpai!” 

“Nice to meet you too.” 

Hajime got up and grabbed his luggage. “Well, we need to pack away our stuff. I’ll talk to you and your mom soon, okay?” 

“Okay” Yua said and ran away. 

“...’Senpai’?” Nagito asked. He’s pretty sure that’s not the right honorific. 

“She doesn’t fully understand honorifics yet.” 

“Oh” That’s understandable, “Well, where to Hajime?” 

Hajime’s smile brightened, “Home.” 

Great....They both walked to the entrance of the house. Hajime used the keys he must’ve kept when he first got to the dorms to open the door to his house. Nagito barely took off his shoes when a woman with brown hair ran up to Hajime. 

“Oh, my baby boy, you’re back!” The lady said, hugging Hajime. Nagito knew who that loud voice belonged to... “Come in, come in! I’m so glad you got away from that tyrant of a ‘master’ you have!” 

Hajime awkwardly chuckled. The mom finally noticed Nagito’s existence, her red eyes staring curiously at him. “Who’s your friend?” 

Nagito smirked, “I am the ‘tyrant of a master’ you so rudely speak of but, my actual name is Nagito Komaeda. Nice to meet you Sara Hinata.” 

Her face went sour; she obviously didn’t like the fact that he was here. That just made Nagito’s smirk wider. Luckily for both, Hajime was too dense to sense the copious amount of tension in the air. 

“Hey Oka-san, do you know where To-san is?” Hajime asked, looking around aimlessly. 

“He’s in his room. He’s been getting better over the last few days.” 

His eyes lit up, “I know, he told me! I’m so glad To-san is recovering.” Hajime ran off to where Nagito assumed was his father’s room. His mom followed; perfect. It gave Nagito some time to look around where he’ll be staying for the next few days. The house was small. The Living room alone could have fit this entire house. There was an old looking kitchen with some simple supplies and a small family room with a couch and an old tv. Nagito headed to the back door and found what looked to be a bedroom. He assumed it was Hajime’s. There wasn’t much else to explore so he just sat on the bed and waited for Hajime to get back. 

… 

Dinner was awkward, Sara and Nagito just glared at each other from the opposite side of the kotatsu. While Hajime and who Nagito assumed to be his father, Hyuji, talked; unaware of the tension. Hyuji seems to be a blissful man with an almost sickly appearance; kind of like Nagito. Hajime seems to get his density from his father since he’s apparently very unaware of his wife’s attitude. 

Nagito took the time to notice that Hyuji had black hair and he already noticed Sara’s red eyes. Just like Kamukura. Could someone as amazing and talented as Izuru Kamukura really have originated from such a small and boring town? He wanted to asked...but, didn’t want to make things even more awkward. Besides, if Kamukura never mentioned them, there much be a reason for that. Right? 

… 

It got late. Really late. Laughs were had; games were played. Now, it was time to go to bed...and that’s when their second problem arrived. There was only one bed... 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll just sleep on the floor.” Hajime offered. He smiled awkwardly but, it was obvious that he didn’t want to do it. 

“No way. The floor is hard, you could hurt your back and, no offense Hajime but; your floor is cold and dirty, you would catch something.” Nagito swiftly protested. 

“Well, we can’t run the kotatsu all night. That’s expensive!” Hajime whined. 

He folded his arms, pouting. Goddammit Hajime, stop looking so fucking cute, Nagito is trying to think! There was no way in hell he was going to let Hajime sleep on anything other than his own bed, which was dirty in its own right. 

Nagito looked around for a bit before coming up with an idea. 

“I’ll just sleep on the couch then.” 

“What? No!” Hajime raised his voice a little, “It’s still cold outside. It’s 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit) out there. You wanna talk about how I’ll catch a cold then choose to sleep in the most open area in 13 degrees?” He sighed, “Y,know what? How about we just both sleep on the bed. Okay?” 

Nagito didn’t know how to feel about that. He’s been having strange thoughts about Hajime already; sleeping in the same bed as him would just amplify that. However, it doesn’t seem like he has much of an option. 

“Fine” 

Hajime had some surprisingly warm blankets in his room and while the bed was smaller than Nagito was used to; it wasn’t too small. He just laid then, staring at the wall. The two boys talked for a while but, they ran out of things to talk about after an hour or two and by the time Nagito came up with another conversation point, he could hear soft snoring next to him. Hajime fell asleep, his back facing Nagito. 

Nagito didn’t know why he did what he did next; maybe he was out of it or maybe he was just touch-starved. He leaned over and wrapped his arm around Hajime’s chest; slowly pulling Hajime into a sort of hug. Hajime apparently a deep sleeper since Nagito managed to even get his other hand comfortably under Hajime’s body without waking him up. He pulled Hajime close; wanting to feel his body heat, it was relaxing. What did people call this? Spooning, cuddling? Nagito wouldn’t know. But whatever it was...it felt nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone's getting a bit lovey dovey~


	6. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagito's going to see what Hajime's life is like and who he's usually around.

“Uh...Komaeda-san?” 

Nagito woke up to the sound of someone calling his name. It was hard for him not to just fall right back asleep; he felt so comfy but, this might be important. He opened his eyes to see Hajime staring at him. He practically jumped away when his brain fully processed what he saw. Did he really fall asleep in that position? 

“O-oh, hey Hajime...Sorry about that.” Geez, he probably freaked Hajime out, “I guess I just hugs people in my sleep.” 

Hajime’s expression was a curious neutral; more importantly, it was unreadable, Nagito couldn’t tell if Hajime even believed his lie. That was one of things that Nagito couldn’t tell if he was annoyed about or jealous of; Hajime was good at not giving away his thoughts and he’s good at lying too. 

“It’s fine. I found it a little awkward but, it’s good.” 

Nagito just realized; Hajime has a red eye now. Not a red eye like a swollen eye; a literal red eye. He had heterochromia. Just like Kamukura’s little brother...Well, there’s no way of denying it now, they are brothers. When did Hajime take off his eye contact? Maybe after dinner when he went to the bathroom. It was quite dark so it would make sense why Nagito would miss that detail. 

“Hajime, you have heterochromia?” 

As if he just noticed it himself; he flinched then cover his eye. 

“Sorry, I forgot I didn’t have my eye contact in.” Still covering his eye, he looked down in shame, “It’s really weird, I know. Probably makes me look like a demon...” 

Shame was not an emotion he usually saw on Hajime, shame and insecurity. Over an eye? And demon, really? Who told him that? 

“Who told you that? That it’s weird?” Nagito was curious. 

“The kids I used to hang out with used to bully me over it and Oka-san hated it. She hated her own red eyes and Nii-chan's so, when I came out with only one red eye, she had the idea of going on one of those shady sites to get only one contact for half the price. It’s uncomfortable but, at least it makes me look normal.” 

“Hajime...” Why would any mother allow her child to think so poorly of themself? Especially over something he couldn’t control. Nagito wanted to recorrect some of the damage Hajime’s parents caused, “I think it makes you look interesting. It’s very mesmerizing. So, if you don’t want to wear your contact, you don’t have to around me.” Nagito smiled, he wasn’t lying. 

Hajime’s eyes lit up, “Really?” Nagito nods, “Thanks,” Hajime said with a smile. 

With a last morning yawn and a stretch, Hajime got out of bed and stumbled out of the room. Nagito just watched him leave before realizing that he should leave as well. He got up and headed out of the room. Hajime’s parents weren’t in the living room yet so Nagito assumed they were the only two up at the moment. He saw Hajime open the fridge and get some eggs. 

“I’m going to make breakfast. What do you want?” Hajime asked. 

“You cook?” Nagito teased with a smirk, “Didn’t know you were such a housewife.” 

Nagito didn’t really mean that. He cooks as well; it has always been kind of a family tradition for the men to cook as well. His father always did say that a man is not a real man unless he can cook. It was one of the few things Nagito could agree with him on. Though, not many boys his age can cook; Teruteru was the exception but, what else can you expect from the Ultimate Cook? 

“I hope you’re kidding” Hajime responded. 

Nagito chuckled, “Don’t worry, I am. To answer your initial question though...” He thought about it for a second, leaning his arms back onto the back of the couch; then, he came up with an answer, “You know how to make tamagoyaki?” 

“Hmm...” Hajime searched through some cupboards and pulled out a square pan. He turned to Nagito with a smile, “Yup, I can make that.” He winked...At this point, Nagito had accepted the fact that he felt a certain way for Hajime, but that.... that just killed him. 

“You okay?” Hajime completely turned to Nagito; his face looked bemused, “You’re face is looking a little red there.” 

Oh shit! Is Nagito blushing?! And here he was doing such a good job at keeping his feelings off his face. 

“Yes, I’m okay. I guess I’m just feeling a little warm.” 

Hajime’s face fell a little, “In 13(55 Fahrenheit) degree weather?” He walked over to Nagito and felt his neck; this just made Nagito blush more. Jeez, was he really that touch starved that a simple touch would make his feel this way? Hajime then felt Nagito’s forehead, “You are feeling a bit warm... I hope you’re not getting a fever... You should probably take a shower while I make breakfast. That might cool you down.” 

For a second, he was actually worried that Hajime caught on but, that statement reminded Nagito that Hajime was dense. He nodded and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. The water took a while to heat up but, at least they had heated water. Nagito took this time to wonder what the rest of the week would be like. Hajime’s father was alright but, his mother... not so much. Hopefully, they can at least stay civil. 

The shower was over before he knew it. He was drying up when he smelled something really good. He assumed it was Hajime with the tamagoyaki. He put on his usual jacket and jeans; the only thing that changed was that he put on a grey turtleneck rather than his usual shirt. He looked in the mirror and sighed; time to start another day, let’s hope today is a good day. He opened the door and saw the tamagoyaki on a plate on the kitchen counter; luckily for Nagito’s cooking sanity, it was covered with a clear bowl. Hajime was still cooking now with a different item; it looks to be a rice cooker. He’s preparing gohan or okayu Nagito guessed. Hajime looked kind of relaxed while cooking. Nagito walked up to the brunet and simply watched him cook. This was a habit Nagito had since he was always curious how some people cook. 

Hajime was meticulous, measuring to the exact number, not wasting a single grain; even the stove was perfectly clean showing he waste a single drop of ingredients while making the tamagoyaki. That was fitting for how Hajime is; he wasn’t a waster in general, well, unless it’s money but that’s a necessity with a mother like his. He was also careful; when he put the rice into the cooker, he was slow to not lose any rice. Nagito was starting to understand how careful Hajime was to not waste which definitely explained the freak out over Nagito spilling that bowl of rice that one time. Hajime closed the rice cooker and looked at Nagito. 

“You need something? You’ve been staring at me for a while.” Hajime asked, Nagito noticed he put his contact back in... Well, insecurity did need more than a few comforting words to break. 

Nagito blinked then realized that his staring might have come off as creepy. 

“Sorry, I just like watching people cook. You never know what you can learn about someone from the way they cook.” Nagito scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile. 

“I see.” Hajime responded simply, “Well, I only have one more thing to cook.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Miso soup. I don’t usually make so much food but, you’re an extra person so I think it’s appropriate.” 

“Are you the only that usually cooks?” Nagito asked. Does that woman make Hajime do everything? 

“No actually, that’s usually Oka-san, but she’s been kinda stressed lately so, I wanted to give her a break. Plus, knowing her, she’ll be petty and purposely prepare less food, so you won’t get anything.” 

Hmm. Guess she doesn’t make Hajime do everything. Hajime grabbed the ingredients from the fridge and went on the other side of the counter. 

“You want some help?” Nagito offered. It’s been a while since he cooked miso soup. That was one of his mother’s favorites. 

With a smirk Hajime turned to him and said, “You cook? Didn’t know you were such a housewife.” 

That got Nagito laughing soon followed by Hajime. “Okay, that was deserved.” Nagito managed between the bursts of laughter. “No seriously, you want some help?” he offered again still giggling a bit. 

“Are you sure?” Hajime asked after his laughter subsided. 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay, that’s fine. I’m going to guess you know how to make miso soup.” 

They started preparing the ingredients Nagito handled the soybeans, green onions and tofu while Hajime handled the dashi, meso paste, the water and the seaweed. Hajime did the actual cooking and after about 10-15 minutes, it was done. 

“Well, that was fast. I guess that’s what happens when you have help.” Hajime comments as he went back to the rice cooker and set up the big bowl of rice. He grabbed all of the food and set up the kotatsu. With everything done, all that needed to be done was to get Hajime’s parents. 

“Wait here for me, okay?” 

Nagito sat at the kotatsu and gave a nod. Hajime walked off and a few minutes later came back with his parents. 

“You made us breakfast?” Sara commented, her eyes wide, “How kind of you. And you even remembered how to make meso soup.” She smiled warmly at Hajime. Nagito just didn’t get this woman. Sometimes she seems like a tyrant and sometimes she seems like a mother. Was there something Nagito was missing? 

“I’m very proud of you, my boy.” Hyuji followed up with also smiling. 

“Thanks” Hajime said, he seemed happy. 

For the breakfast, they seemed like a happy family. All conversing as if nothing was wrong; even Sara’s animosity towards Nagito seemed forgotten. He just stayed silent and watched this family talk about events and plans happily. Jealousy started prickling its way into Nagito’s heart. He couldn’t tell if he was jealous of Hajime for having this happy family moment or of his parents for being able to make him smile so easily. Maybe both. 

Hyuji must have noticed that Nagito wasn’t talking since he started trying to include him into the conversation. 

“Komaeda right? I feel like I’ve heard that last name before.” The older man sipped his tea before continuing, “Takashi Komaeda. That’s where I’ve heard it from.” 

“You’ve heard of my father?” Nagito was surprised. While his dad was a part of a pretty big company, he was nowhere near the level to be known. 

“Yeah, he was a wild man in his youth. Always coming to the ‘slums’ to gamble with the townsfolk.” Hyuji looked like he was reminiscing, “He picked up a pretty young thing from what used to be a café down the way. Say he ‘fell in love with her instantly’. You kind of look like the girl; minus the white hair.” 

“That was probably Oka-san then. My father did mention meeting mom from a poor town.” Oka-san... 

“Oh? Whatever happened to those two? We haven’t heard from them in years.” Hyuji asked. Why did he have to ask...? Hajime furiously shook his head at his father, while; Nagito tried to keep his composure. 

“They died in a plane crash.” Sara said bluntly, “News came the week you went away to work.” 

Well, that did it; it triggered a memory that was still too raw from last time. 

“Excuse me.” Nagito got up and practically ran to the bathroom. He could hear Hajime briefly scold his mother before following Nagito. When they both made it to the bathroom Nagito slid to the floor, just like last time. He was sweating bullets, shaking like a leaf and trying to hold back tears. Hajime held him and whispered sweet nothings into his ear; it helped get Nagito’s mind off the flashing images in his head. Eventually, he calmed. 

“I’m sorry.” Nagito said, he completely killed the mood from breakfast because he couldn’t keep his composure. 

“It’s not your fault. You’re just going through somethings. That’s not your fault.” Hajime was too nice sometimes. “Let’s get out of here, okay? I still need to talk to the Mio family, and I think you should come with me.” 

Nagito nodded, he needed to get out of this house. Still a little shaky, he got up and left the bathroom. They left the house without as much as a goodbye and were heading to where Nagito assumed was the Mio household. They made it to a small little cottage. It was even smaller than the Hinata household but, it was also kind of cute. There was a pleasant smell coming from the house. 

Hajime knocked on the door and a middle-aged woman opened it. Nagito noticed the light pink apron she was wearing since it stood out against her maroon sweater dress. She possessed that same dark blue hair as that little girl they saw yesterday. Her brown doe eyes looked at Hajime with pleasant surprise. 

“Good morning Chia-san. How are you?” Hajime greeted. Chia? That’s sounds like a first name. Maybe they’re just that close. 

“Morning Hajime-san, I’m just fine and you?” 

“I’m good.” 

Chia seemed to notice Nagito, “Hello there, are you the ‘Nagito Komaeda’ my daughter told me about?” 

“Yes, my name is Nagito Komaeda, it’s nice to meet you Mio-san." 

She smiled and waved him off, “Now, now, there’s no need to be formal ‘Chia-san’ will do just nicely.” 

“Okay” Nagito said with a nod. 

“Come in boys,” She invited; opening her door to invite them in, “I was just baking cookies with Yua and Ren.” 

So that’s what that smell was. Hajime and Nagito entered the small house and the first thing they see are two children, well, a child and a teen sitting on their couch. Nagito recognized the child; it’s Yua, though, he’s never seen the teen before. He has his mom and sister’s signature blue hair in a very short ponytail but, he has dark green eyes. He seemed bored even though he was occupying himself with a video game. His sister, on the other hand, looks pretty excited. 

“Hajime-senpai! You came!” the little girl said. 

“Yup, nice to see you again Yua-chan. You too Ren-kun.” 

“Mhm...” Ren responded, not even looking up from his game, “Who’s your boyfriend?” 

“B-Boyfriend?” Both Hajime and Nagito said. Though Nagito didn’t mean to say that out loud. He had to cover his face from the flush that was definitely showing up. Embarrassing... 

Ren chuckled, “It’s always nice to tease you.” 

Yua pointed at Nagito and pounced, “That’s the Nagito Komaeda I was talking about!” 

Ren paused his game, turned and leaned his arm on the back of the couch, probably to get a better look at Nagito. 

“Sup, name’s Ren. But you already knew that.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Nagito replied, his voice slightly muffled from behind his hands. 

Then there was a ding from the kitchen. Seems the cookies were done. Chia went to the kitchen to grab the cookies. The smell of baking got stronger when she opened the oven. Yua got off the couch and went to help her mom, dragging Hajime with her. Now it was just Nagito and Ren, who seemed still preoccupied with his game. 

Before Nagito could say anything, Ren spoke up, 

“Nagito Komaeda, right? What are you doing here?” 

Nagito blinked, did he know this person? No, that couldn’t be. 

“What do you mean? I’m with my friend while he’s visiting his parents.” Nagito responded. 

Ren paused his game again and turned to Nagito. 

“Y’know some people only know that Hajime-san had to leave after losing a deal. I’m one of the few people that knows exactly why he left and, more importantly, who forced him to leave.” 

Did Hajime tell him? Did that make them close or at least friends? But Hajime never talked about him. 

“No Hajime-san didn’t tell me anything, if that’s what you’re thinking; we weren’t that close. I’m just really good at both observing and overhearing. I’m not going to ask why you did what you do, after all; you don’t seem cruel so, there is no reason for me to get involved. I just want to act as a sort of...deterrent, if you are cruel. Remember, I’m very observant, I’ll know.” 

Nagito couldn’t tell if that was advice or a threat. He sounded so nonchalant. Nagito wasn’t particularly worried though, he is the Ultimate Lucky Student. If his talent is worth anything, it’ll at least keep him safe. At least Nagito now knows that he’s being watched and that people in this town do look out for Hajime... Nagito still can’t tell why he cares but, he does so, all he can do is roll with it. 

The three came back with cookies and for the rest of the afternoon, they had pleasant conversations. This place actually felt like a home with a woman that actually felt like a mother; the brother was a little weird in comparison but, Nagito couldn’t really judge, his sister did disappear near Hajime’s age so he can understand why Ren and Chia seem a bit more defensive. At around 6 pm, the duo decided that it was time to head to the Hinata’s. They waved goodbye and started walking back and when they got close enough, they heard voices. One is shouting... 

“How _dare _you come back here after everything you’ve put us through!” Sara shouted at the mysterious figure. It didn’t respond or at least, Nagito didn’t hear it respond. “You have no reason to be here!” She continued to scream.__

__“I’m not here to see you, woman.” He finally responded._ _

__Wait...that voice..._ _

__As the duo got closer to the screaming lady and the figure, they started to take a form. When they got close enough to see who the figure was. And of all people..._ _

__It was Izuru Kamukura._ _

__“No way...” Hajime said in awe. He walked up to the two, tears whelling in his eyes. “Nii-chan?”_ _

__Kamukura turned to Hajime and stared. Silence engulfed the space; even the white noise of footsteps on snow or freezing winds didn’t seem to make a sound._ _

__“...Hajime?”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!  
> Izuru and Hajime are brothers!
> 
> The surprise that surprised literally no one!


	7. Mother's 'Loving' Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime finally gets to talk to Izuru again but, something about his mother feels...wrong.

“...Hajime?” Izuru stood there, mouth agape. “Why are you here? I thought you were in Hope’s Peak.” 

“I could ask you the same thing Kamukura-senpai.” Nagito walked up. He stared at Izuru; he seemed unsurprised, like he was expecting this to happen, “Shouldn’t you be in Hope’s Peak?” 

Hope’s Peak? Why would Izuru be there? And how did he even know Hajime was in Hope’s Peak? How did Nagito know anything about Izuru? Hajime was confused. 

“What?” Hajime couldn’t think of anything else to say, nothing made sense. 

Nagito folded his arms. With a sigh, he looked at Hajime and gestured to Izuru, “This is your brother, right Hajime?” 

“Well yes but, how do you know that? How do you know him? And why did you call him ‘Kamukura’? “ 

“Izuru Kamukura took on a different role in life. He’s one of the staff members at Hope’s Peak Academy. Specifically, the staff member in charge of the Reserve Course.” Nagito turned his attention back to Izuru, “Which is why I’m still wondering why he’s here of all places. Especially if he thought you were in Hope’s Peak.” 

Izuru had no response. He was still looking at Hajime but, he seemed less confident; he was barely able to look Hajime in the eyes, he almost looked ashamed. 

“Well!” Hajime’s mother exclaimed, making her presence known again, “It doesn’t matter why you came here. You’re not welcome back.” She growled; her voice was dark and dripping with animosity, it was a miracle that she didn’t start yelling. “Hajime, get inside. You don’t want to catch a cold.” 

Despite talking to Hajime, her glare was fixated on Izuru. He stared back; with her, his eyes were devoid of all the shame and empathy he had while looking at Hajime. And Hajime didn’t understand; he knew Sara would be unhappy with Izuru’s return but, that’s still her son. Same thing with Izuru, that’s still his mother. Why were they acting like enemies? Well, he wasn’t going to abandon his brother; even if said brother never showed him the same curtesy, Hajime was willing to hear him out. 

“Cmon Oka-san let him inside. At least let To-san see him; let’s hear him out.” 

“Why would you want to hear him out?! He just left with no warning, no calls, no nothing. It’s obvious he didn’t want anything to do with us!” 

Hajime sighed, “Let’s discuss this tomorrow Nii-chan, you and I both know there’s no point in arguing with her when she’s like this.” 

Izuru held Hajime’s understanding gaze, “Right.” Knowing there was no winning this, Izuru left. It reminded Hajime of that day Izuru left for college and didn’t come back. He forced down the painful memories of loneliness; there was no point getting misty eyed for something that happened so long ago. 

Sara seemed offended; the very idea that she was being irritable and unfair seemed to shock her. Hajime just ignored her; it wasn’t worth arguing. He grabbed Nagito’s hand and pulled him inside; Hajime still had questions for him but first, they needed warm up. It seemed like this was turning out to be a cold Spring and the sudden snow didn’t match well with Nagito thin coat. 

… 

Maybe he was just tired that day but, after a warm cup of hot chocolate, Hajime completely forgot to ask Nagito how he knew Izuru. Well, he was gunna get his answer soon; for once in the last five years, Izuru finally answered when Hajime called. There were the regular greetings, of course but, Hajime did get impatient and started asking questions. 

“How do you and Komaeda-san know each other?” 

“As he mentioned, I work at Hope’s Peak Academy, in the Reserve Course. I oversee who goes in and out. So, when I saw that you joined, I wanted to know how. Last I checked, our parents are the opposite of rich. Then I saw that Komaeda was paying for your tuition and I got curious... You lost a bet to him, right?” 

Hajime gripped his chain, it was... uncomfortable to be reminded that Nagito wasn’t just some friend; he was Hajime’s owner. Hajime wasn’t human. 

“...Hajime? You still there?” 

“Yeah... And yes, I lost a bet against him. Now, I’m in debt.” 

“Is he there with you?” Izuru asked. 

“No, he’s waiting outside” Hajime gripped the phone tighter, “Anyway, I have another question.” 

“Go ahead.” Izuru responded. 

Then, Hajime’s chest tightened; something seemed to get caught in his throat. He couldn’t say a thing. Something in him knew, if he asked, everything would change no matter the answer. 

“Hajime?” 

“...Why did you leave? Why did you move away and leave me behind?” 

Hajime held his mouth shut tight, nearly grinding his teeth. If there was one thing that he truly tried to convince himself of it’s that he didn’t hold any ill will to his family but, it became so hard to not blame them for why he’s here in the first place. If Izuru was there, Hajime knew he would never allow him to start gambling and it had been so lonely without Izuru; Ren was good company, but he was always busy and Yua was a bit too young at the time. Izuru was the only close friend Hajime had. So, it really stung when Izuru never even bothered to answer his calls. 

Silence came from the other end. The only thing that indicated the other line was still was on was the near silent but constant sound of static. 

“You could’ve at least called.” He added. 

“If I was certain that I could’ve supported you; If I knew I would have the job I have now, I swear to you Hajime, I would have taken you with me. But I was unsure, and I didn’t know if taking you with me would make your life harder.” Izuru answered, “Besides, Sara didn’t want that... I left to get away from her. I always had the intention of answering your calls but, she warned me not to and... well, all I’ll say is, you haven’t seen her at her worst, and I hope you never do.” 

That didn’t make sense. Sara may have been mean, maybe a bit hurtful but, how scary can she be? 

“I used to be like you, y’know.” 

“What?” What does he mean? 

“I used to excuse her actions. We both know she’s been through some things and she’s too poor to see a psychologist.” 

That was true. Sara’s past seemed worse than Hajime’s by far. She didn’t tell them much but, Izuru found out about a guy before their dad. And that guy, other than being the origin of her gambling addiction, was not...a good person. Apparently, his part of her story ended with an arrest for something. Izuru wouldn’t tell him about it but, eventually, Hajime had some ideas. Regardless of what it was, without sufficient evidence, the case was dropped. And that man...just walked away. 

“But...” Izuru continued, “There’s a point where her actions can’t be excused, and she was getting very close to that point. I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong, I still have that feeling now...” He went silent for a few seconds, “Are you living with her?” 

“No, this is just a vacation.” Hajime was starting to feel uneasy; he knew Izuru was trying to warn him of something but, he didn’t exactly know what. Was he trying to tell Hajime to leave like he did? 

“But once my debt is settled, I will. Or at least I’ll live nearby. I need to take care of To-san.” He couldn’t leave like Izuru did. He needed to take care of them. They’re still his parents and if he left, they would drown in debt. He needed to at least earn enough to get Sara therapy so she can work properly and not gamble away all her money. 

Once again, Izuru didn’t respond. 

“...Nii-chan?” 

“I’ll help out. What bills are there? What’s your situation?” 

Hajime was about to decline when he remembered that Izuru was probably loaded. He would be better at paying. So, even though he felt like he was being lazy and not helping, he told Izuru their situation including Hajime’s debt and ‘job’ that Nagito gave him. It was for the best. 

“Okay I got it. I know you well enough, you’re the responsible kind, you’re not going to accept my help on your debt. So, here’s my deal. The rent and Oto-san's bills, I’ll deal with them and you focus on getting yourself out of debt. However, if I do this, you’ll at least keep a small distance away from Sara. Make a life for yourself away from that home. Got it?” 

Now this really felt like a bail out of his responsibilities. And that meant he probably would have to keep a distance from Hyuji too... And he promised to take care of them but... this would take care of them... Hajime sighed; he knew what the right answer was. 

“Fine, I agree to your terms.” 

“Good. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to go to, so I must go.” Izuru said, “Take care of yourself, Brother.” 

“Mhm... bye Nii-chan.” Hajime felt himself getting misty eyed again and he truly couldn’t pinpoint a reason why. He hung up and spent another minute trying to blink out the tears threatening to form. He wiped his eyes and got up to leave. When he left the room, he saw Hyuji and Nagito sitting on the living room couch, having a pleasant conversation; at least Hajime’s father didn’t seem to hold too much animosity to Nagito. He was always the more level-headed guy of the family. 

“Hey To-san, Nagito.” Hajime waved, trying to act as casual as possible, “I’m done with the phone call.” He sat down with the two. 

“Oh. How was it? How’s Izuru doing?” Hyuji asked enthusiastically. 

“He’s good.” Hajime looked around for a few seconds, “Where’s Oka-san?” 

“She went out.” Nagito quickly replied. Hajime knew that expression; it was a subtle one but, that meant something happened but, Nagito was trying to hide it. Hajime was going to pry but thought better of it. Instead, he changed the subject, and they carried a nice conversation. 

Hajime started to yawn and leaned on Nagito’s shoulder. Guess he was more tired than originally thought. 

“Are you tired?” Nagito asked. 

“mmmaybe...?” Hajime responded with another yawn. 

He closed his eyes and was about to drift off when he heard his father speak. 

“He seems to be very comfortable around you.” 

The comment caught him off guard. Now he wanted to listen; he kept his eyes closed and his breathing slow. 

“Yeah,” Nagito agreed, “He sometimes does this. I’m just glad he trusts me enough to fall asleep anywhere near me.” Hajime felt an arm wrap around his back and rest on his outer thigh. He didn’t mind. 

“You seem quite affectionate.” Hyuji mentioned. 

“Oh sorry.” 

Hajime couldn’t see anything but, that just made him focus on hearing; so, when the door opened, he picked up the sound immediately. A few moments of silences made Hajime realize what’s going on. 

Sara came home... And she’s probably staring as, from her perspective, her son resting on the shoulder of his ‘tyrant owner’. 

“What...” Sara started; her voice dark and low, “Is going on here? Why do you have your arm around my son?” Hajime knew that voice, it was the calm before the storm. Nagito immediately let go and Hajime used this as an opportunity to ‘wake up’. He stirred and yawned, pretending to be groggy and half asleep. 

“Hi guys... what happened?” Hajime asked, slipping an oblivious tone to seem extra convincing. 

He just noticed that Sara was now right behind them and he nearly jumped. She separated the two boys. Her gaze fell on Nagito. Her gaze wasn’t angry...okay no it was angry but, not steaming; more like...cold. 

“Don’t touch my son, you have absolutely no right to.” 

Surprisingly, she ended it at that. No screaming, no threatening, just a little anger then she walked away. Hajime relaxed as her door closed, crisis averted. But Hajime felt like something was wrong... 

… 

Day Four started interestingly; for the second time that week, Hajime woke up to Nagito spooning him. Red in the face and annoyed at how red he was getting, he shook Nagito awake. Nagito was apologetic again and seemed to get red in the face as well. But other than that, the morning went normally...or as normally as it can be when Sara was actively upset and seemed like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. Hajime couldn’t really tell why she was so angry until about three-fourth of breakfast was done. A knock on the door surprised Hajime; who would be at the door so early? 

Sara got up silently and opened the door and lo and behold, it’s Izuru. 

“Izuru?” Hyuji was shocked. Though that was understandable, he was the only one who hadn’t seen Izuru up until this point. Unlike Sara, who got angry and Hajime who just froze; Hyuji got up and gave his son a hug. Izuru hugged him back. 

“Hey Oto-san.” 

Hyuji let go of the hug but held Izuru at arm’s length, “Oh my god, look how much you’ve grown! You truly have become a man.” 

He invited Izuru to sit down and eat which Izuru accepted. They all talked for the rest of breakfast. They caught up with each other’s lives and had a pleasant conversation. The one that wasn’t talking this time was Sara who was simply switching her gaze between Nagito and Izuru. The uneasy feeling Hajime had was only getting stronger by that... 

Izuru stayed for about half of the day before he was called into another meeting. By the time he left, tensions had died a little and Hajime hoped it would stay that way but, he still had a bad feeling in his chest. Maybe it was nerves, Sara and Nagito have been walking the thin ice as on late; maybe Hajime was just nervous. Yeah, that was it... He just needed to calm down a little. Maybe a walk could help... A walk in 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) in the snow... Not the brightest idea but he needed to calm down a little. 

Hajime grabbed one of the thickest coats he had and threw it on, “Oka-san, I’m going for a walk okay?” 

“Okay, don’t be long. It’s freezing out there.” 

Hajime nodded, putted on his boots and left. Now that he was alone, he tried to pinpoint where his uneasiness is coming from. It was obvious that it had something to do with his mother. Why did she allow Izuru in? Why did she seem so quietly angry? Why did it feel like something bad was about to happen? 

… 

He finally made it back home after circling the neighborhood; he felt better but still felt uneasy. That uneasiness only grew when he heard arguing in the kitchen. Oh no... No... He took off his boots and bolted to the kitchen to find Nagito and Sara arguing. Sara seems very heated with Nagito was just a little pissed off. Hajime stepped between them to create some distance. 

“Hey, hey! What’s going on here?” He asked. 

“This little _brat_ you brought here seems to not know how to treat his elders in their own home!” Sara hissed. 

“Your mother seems to think I’ll take her insults lying down.” Nagito said. 

“I’m only mentioning the truth.” Sara countered, “If you were really into ‘fairness’” she said in air quotes, “you wouldn’t have brought that stupid coupon a-” 

“Oh, you want you talk about _fairness?_ When have you ever been fair?" Nagito interrupted; there was a dark, slightly maddened look in his eyes. Hajime’s never seen him like this; it was actually kind of scary, “I know your type, I see it all the time with you talentless people. There’s always at least one to counter the angel that Hajime is.” 

Angel? Where had Hajime heard Nagito say that before? 

“You want to know what you are? You’re just a loser. A loser that was blessed with a beautiful family and instead of loving them and caring about them, you use them and expect that they’ll just stick around. That is why Izuru left!” Nagito was being ruthless, and Sara wasn’t responding; she kept her head down as Nagito continued, “I’ve had a father just as disgusting as you, taking advantage of his angelic wife’s kindness and patience.” 

This was all too much. Hajime gripped Nagito shoulders in a panicked mixture of trying to calm Nagito down and trying to keep him away from Sara. 

“Nagito stop please. I think she got the mess-” 

“Don’t get involved Hajime.” Nagito said calmly. 

“But-” 

Nagito grabbed the tag Hajime wore; it jingled. With a look of repressed anger, Nagito said as calmly as he could. 

“That’s not a request, it’s an order.” 

Hajime said nothing in return; he just let go of Nagito’s shoulders and stepped aside. He couldn’t look either of them as Nagito continued to hurdled abuse at Sara and she just boiled under the surface in response. Biting her lip as she tried to suppress whatever she was thinking about. 

“Angels...? What do you even mean by that?” She growled under her breathe. 

Nagito pulled Hajime to his side and gestured to him. 

“Someone like him,” 

He started describing what he thought ‘Angels’ were. The compliments would have been flattering had Nagito not looked so maddened or had he not used those compliments to vilify Sara. But that didn’t seem to be the thing that caused Sara’s murderous stare. It was the touching. Nagito is a very touchy person. A hand on the shoulder or the hips or rubbing someone’s arm was just something Nagito did unconsciously and while Hajime was used to it, it was making Sara crazier by the second. 

She never really liked it when boys got touchy, even with her sons. She didn’t even like it when Hyuji, her husband, got touchy. So, to see this random boy not only command her son to stay quiet but, then to get touchy with him was probably bringing up some terrible memories. 

Hajime knew it was breaking his rules but, this was going to end badly regardless. He needed to try. He turned Nagito towards him. Putting him between Hajime and his mother. 

“Hajime, I told you not to get involved.” 

“I know but please, drop it. What you’re doing is going to set her off. She has... issues of her past that you need to know about before you taunt her.” Hajime was nervous, that uneasy feeling was skyrocketing. 

“Does it look like I care what her reasoning is?” It didn’t, “Can’t you see that this hag is using you? She’s trying to manipulate you!” 

“That ‘hag’ is still my mother and-” 

“ENOUGH!” Sara screamed. Eyes, tear stained and maddened. She grabbed her metal briefcase, “Get...your...hand...off... My Son!” She charged at Nagito clearly trying to hurt him, Hajime thinking fast rather than smart pushed Nagito out of the way and... 

A loud crack was heard, and Hajime staggered back. For a second, he wondered if Sara missed, he didn’t feel any pain. But he saw the shocked faces of Sara and Nagito and knew something happened. The thick smell of iron coated the air and he saw crimson red drip down his face. He reached for the wound, the giant gash on his head. 

As the shock ebbed away, he started to understand what just happened. 

“O...ka...san?” 

His body finally responded to what just happened and he collapsed backward, sliding down the wall. 

“HAJIME!” He heard Nagito scream as loud footsteps got closer. 

A thud could be heard. Did Sara drop the briefcase? Was Nagito running towards him? Where was Hyuji? Was he dying or just passing out? He didn’t know. Simple question with obvious answers were impossible to answer as his mind started to fade. He didn’t want to die but, he didn’t have much of a choice... 

...Please, just let this be a horrible nightmare...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I've probably gathered enough suffering to satiate my need for the tears of Komahina Shippers. (Or just Hajime Kinnies)


	8. The Best Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime is waking up in a new place. How will he cope with the realization of what his mother did? Who will get involved? What will happen? 
> 
> Let's find out.

He didn’t want to wake up yet; he was enjoying the floaty feeling. He liked being in his pleasant memories as a child. He liked remembering playing little games with his brother or playing tag when Ren wasn’t busy. He liked remembering the days where he was too young to realize Sara’s problems and actually saw her as a good mom; the days where he could call her “Ka-san”. He felt a tug at his sleeve; it was Sara. She was crying. She looked so... so ashamed. She hugged him. 

“I’m sorry Hajime, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for being a bad mom.” 

That’s what he always wanted to hear from his mother. Just an apology, a sign that his mother even cared. Was that something she actually said or was it just an illusion his mind made to protect him? He wanted to believe in it. He wanted to believe that his mother loved him, even a little. Tears started to prick up in his eyes, he didn’t bother to stop them. He returned the illusion’s hug. 

“I forgive you.” He felt like a child again, crying and looking to his mother for comfort, “I always will...” 

He was sniffling and his head ached from the crying that had gotten out of hand; he couldn’t stop himself if he tried. God, how long had it been since he’s cried this hard? Maybe he wasn’t as okay as he thought he was. He wanted to stay here forever, in the world where his family was happy; where he could play games with his brother and friends, where he could come home to a loving mother and a healthy father, where he didn’t have to worry about money or gambling or addiction or any of the pain. 

But something was calling him. 

“Hajime” it said. 

“Hajime please... Wake up.” it said. 

Hajime then remembered that he had people waiting for him. He couldn’t leave them behind for comfortable memories. So, even though he didn’t want to, he had to walk away from those memories. He let go of his mother. 

“I have to go, I’m sorry Ka-san...” 

She smiled, though the tears didn’t stop. 

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m very proud of you Hajime.” 

That just made the separation harder but, he started following the voice. In the distance he heard a faint “I love you”, he nearly stopped at that. Nearly. He kept going and seemed to age rapidly. In a few seconds he went from 8 to 15 and things slowly turned white. 

... 

Pain rung in his head when he started waking up. His eyesight was blurry for a few seconds but as it cleared, he realized that he was somewhere else entirely. It seemed like the hotel near the town; he should know, he used to work there. When the lull of fatigue faded, he panicked. He was in a hotel and he didn’t know how he got there. He was trying to remember but every time he tried to remember anything past getting home, his head would throb. 

Then the bedroom door opened; Hajime tensed up until he realized the person entering was Izuru. 

“...Nii-chan?” 

Izuru flinched when he noticed Hajime followed by a relieved sigh. 

“You’re awake, thank god.” He walked over to Hajime’s side. “How does your head feel?” 

“It hurts” Hajime responded holding said head in his hands, “But, I’ll be okay. What even happened?” 

“Hmm...You don’t remember?” Hajime shook his head, “I had a feeling this would happen. Sara attacked you. She hit you over the head with her briefcase.” 

That’s right... Hajime now remembered. Nagito and Sara were arguing and Nagito kept prodding at Sara’s nerves until she tried to attack him and ended up hitting Hajime instead. Nagito... Hajime looked around the room frantically. Where is Nagito? Is he even here? What if Sara attacked him again? She must’ve been even angrier. The thought of Sara getting her hands on him made Hajime terrified. 

“Where’s Nagito?!” Hajime accidentally used Nagito given name but, he didn’t care. 

His face must’ve shown how scared he was since Izuru gave him a hug. 

“Calm down, Hajime. He’s in the living room, he wasn’t harmed. I can get him right now. You can stop shaking.” 

He was shaking? He didn’t even notice. Izuru left, probably to get Nagito, and Hajime tried to focus on his breathing. After a few seconds, the door opened again; this time however, Nagito entered. They stared at each other for a moment then Hajime tried to get up to hug him. 

“There’s no need, Hajime.” Nagito said, walking to the bed. 

He latched himself onto Hajime, squeezing a little harder than usual but Hajime didn’t complain. He hugged the albino back. 

“Are you okay?” Hajime asked, “Oka-san didn’t hurt you, right?” 

Nagito squeezed even harder, gripping onto the baggy, black sweater Hajime was wearing, “Who cares about me?! Are _you_ okay? She hid you over the head with a briefcase!” 

“I’m okay, just maybe a little disoriented?” 

“And you’re very lucky for that!” Nagito exclaimed, “Such a hard, direct hit could’ve caused brain damage!” Nagito let go of the hug and cupped Hajime’s cheeks. He truly looked concerned, nearly in tears. Hajime wondered if this was the same Nagito that sadistically saddled him with immeasurable amounts of debt; he looked so kind and caring now, like a friend or a loved one. “I’m sorry. Had I’d known she would’ve attacked me; I wouldn’t have gone so far.” 

“It’s fine; she’s never gotten so violent before. She’s probably just-” 

“Stop trying to justify her actions, Hajime.” Nagito said firmly, “She could’ve killed you or caused permanent damage. No amount of ‘probably just’ can justify that.” 

“...She’s my mother.” Hajime didn’t have any other reason for his forgiveness, Nagito was right after all, “I know she didn’t...mean to...” 

Nagito folded his arms and put up a deadpan face, “Yeah, she meant to kill me not you.” 

“No! She wasn’t going to kill anyone.” Hajime countered firmly, “She was just...angry...” That wasn’t a good reason... 

“If that’s how she acts when ‘angry’ then, so God help me, I’m never letting her anywhere near you again!” 

“You won’t have to worry about that. I always made a deal with Izuru about that. I have to stay away and he’s now paying for their needs.” Hajime wasn’t happy about admitting to running away but, Nagito seemed happy. He must’ve noticed Hajime’s sadness since his smile was a sad smile. 

“That’s probably for the best Hajime.” 

Hajime sighed; there was no point in arguing, what’s done was done. 

“Anyways, how did I get here? Last I remember, we were still at my house when I passed out.” 

Nagito put his arms on the bed, supporting himself. 

“After making sure that you were alive, I picked you up and left that house immediately. Your mother didn’t try to stop me, she just froze. I decided to go to the Mio’s until we could contact an ambulance. Unfortunately, the nearest ambulance was ninety minutes away, I thought that was our only option until I heard your phone ringing. I guess my good luck kicked in since it was Kamukura-senpai that called. I told him everything and he picked us up about ten minutes after. Luckily, one of the things your brother seems to be good at is stitching people up.” 

Right... Izuru is great at many things. Hajime leaned back against the headboard; his spinning head made it hard to focus. He snapped back into reality when he felt an arm on his shoulder. 

“Are you okay?” Nagito looked at him with a worried gaze. “You look a little dazed.” 

Hajime nodded; he didn’t mean to space out. Nagito moved the hand he had on Hajime’s shoulder back to his cheek. He looked at the bandages now covering Hajime’s forehead before squinting angrily at Hajime. He seemed concerned but also upset. 

“I told you not to get involved. And look what happened when you did; maybe next time you’ll listen to me.” 

Hajime shrugged, “Probably not.” 

Hajime knew there were no real consequences to disobeying the rules; Nagito wasn’t cruel hearted, he wouldn’t put Hajime or his family in harm’s way. He didn’t want to abuse that knowledge though, it felt dishonorable. Plus, while Nagito might not, the school would severely punish Hajime if they found out. The school wasn’t actually that good; the enchantment of the school died when Hajime realized how shady it really is. 

Nagito sighed, the anger on his face melted into small smile. Hajime smiled back; teasing the albino never got old. He felt a kiss on bridge of his nose and flinched in surprise. He wasn’t expecting that, and he lost his composure as his face heated up. 

“I’m glad you’re okay though. I really wouldn’t know what to do with myself if you died; to lose someone else that I care about... I don’t know if I could take it.” It took a few seconds... Maybe it was Hajime’s probably reddened face that snapped him back into reality or maybe his sense caught up with his emotions. Regardless, Nagito seemed to fully realize what he just said and did. His eyed widened and his pale face turned scarlet red. He was sputtering, apologizing; he didn’t seem to know what do to. 

“I’m so sorry. That was highly inappropriate!” 

Lately, Hajime’s been thinking fast rather than smart; and it seemed he might do it again. Without giving it too much thought, Hajime grabbed Nagito’s face and kissed his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, ready for any reaction. He felt hands around his waist; Nagito didn’t pull away. He wrapped his arms around the albino’s neck as he got gently pushed back onto the headboard. The kiss wasn’t meant to last long and yet it did; By the time they let go, Hajime had to catch his breath. 

Hajime opened his eyes and looked up at Nagito. Usually, Nagito wasn’t much taller than Hajime, but in that specific position, Nagito seemed to tower over him. One hand was still on Hajime’s hip and the other had moved to leaning beside the brunet on the headboard. Nagito was too close, it made Hajime focus on all the taller boy’s features. Like how the red on his face, though lessened, was still there. Or that his gaze, unlike Hajime’s, was fixated on a singular part of Hajime, his eyes. Then there were the features that were always there, but Hajime never noticed, like how the tips of his hair had the tiniest bit of a reddish-brown tint, or how his pale skin somewhat glowed under the right lighting or how soft his hands were as he caressed the small amount of skin that showed under the brunet’s turtleneck. 

“Uh...” Nagito blinked then backed off. “S-sorry. I took things too far.” 

“No need. I started it.” Hajime tried to bring back his composure, but his heated face wasn’t having any of that. He noticed Nagito staring at him again curiously. “What?” 

“You’re pouting again.” Nagito casually brought up, pointing at Hajime’s face. 

He was?! “I don’t pout.” He folded his arms in angry defiance even though he was sure that was making him look less convincing. 

Nagito chuckled, “You pout all the time, Hajime. It’s cute. It makes you look pretty tsundere though.” 

“I am not a tsundere.” Hajime said firmly. Ren called him that all the time; it was annoying. 

“I never said you were I just said that you looked tsundere.” Nagito got up and headed for the door. “I’ll be in the living room.” 

Hajime nodded and watched Nagito leave. Now that he was gone, Hajime could finally think rationally. For the past day or so, he’s had to act on impulse rather than rational thought which really annoyed him. Being reckless was the easiest way to get hurt. Did he regret acting on impulse? Not really, if he didn’t, his mom would have hit Nagito, and he probably wouldn’t have kissed Nagito. Neither of which he wanted to happen instead. Still, he needed to keep the habit of thinking rationally. 

Now he needed to address the real problem. How did he feel about Nagito? He had to have liked him a little or his first instinct wouldn’t have been to kiss him; plus, he had been fine with Nagito’s increasingly touchy behavior. So why didn’t he notice this before? He saw their relationship as platonic. Was he in denial? Was he just that dense that he didn’t even notice his own emotions? Where do they go from there? That was still his ‘owner’; was it healthy to have a connection with someone that could, theoretically, control his life? 

After seeing Nagito’s more manic side, is falling in love safe? All rationality was telling Hajime no but, that part of him that acted on impulse was telling him yes. He was just telling himself to act with more rationality and yet he was about the act more on impulse again. 

Yeesh, the people that said “Love is complicated” weren’t lying. 

… 

Izuru gave him a hard scolding about putting his life at risk bringing up the fact that Hajime could have pulled Nagito out of the way instead of pushed which would’ve gotten himself out of danger as well. That was... a good point. As always, Izuru was right. Izuru and Nagito shared that same quality; they were a bit protective of Hajime. Even someone as dense as Hajime figured that out. Often, he had to work around that quality to get himself out of an awkward scolding like this but, he didn’t want to this time. It felt nice to have someone scold him; it showed that Izuru cared about him and that’s what he needed right now, family love. 

Nagito was sitting next to Hajime on the couch, saying absolutely nothing. Izuru was scolding him too. Nagito just kept a small smile. A part of Hajime knew that most likely, Nagito wouldn’t learn. He had pissed Hajime off many times before he learned to treat him with respect and then he still antagonized his mother. He may have learned for Sara, but he’ll probably antagonize someone else again and get himself into even more trouble. 

“It must be nice knowing your actions don’t have direct consequences.” Izuru said, pushing his glasses to the top bridge of his nose, “Or, at least, it’s nice until someone else gets hurt. You forget that the only reason why you’re safe from the wrath of others is because someone else will take the hit for you.” 

Izuru was always a harsh disciplinarian, he needed to be. With someone like Sara constantly putting them in the real world, Izuru spent the majority of his childhood coming up with harsh rules to keep his friends and family safe from those Sara angered. Hajime hated to admit it but, whether or not Izuru did it to guilt, his bluntness had caused Hajime a lot of guilt in his childhood. He knew Izuru was just trying to protect him but, the guilt did really hurt; it seemed to be doing the same to Nagito. He looked unconfident and his small smile had slipped. 

“I’m sorry...” Nagito mumbled. He hugged himself and held his head so low; Hajime couldn’t help but feel bad for him. 

Izuru sighed angrily then softened his expression. Hajime knew Izuru wasn’t exactly forgiving like he was but, he didn’t hold onto hatred. It was more like he became cautious towards someone who actively put someone else in danger. He was the type to only hold grudge against those who deserved it like Sara but, to someone who truly tried to fix their mistakes, like Nagito, he couldn’t stay mad it seemed. 

“It seems we all have been through quite a scare. I know you regret it, so I’ll try not to bring it up again. Just... don’t do it again. Remember, it’s not your life that’s usually in danger. If Hajime died, I know that’d hurt you and it would hurt me too; he’s the only brother I got.” 

“I understand.” Nagito said, still barely above a whisper, “I’m sorry.” 

The atmosphere was all doom and gloom, it was making Hajime upset. He didn’t need more sadness and regret on top of his headache. He stood up, way too quickly, ignoring the pain in his head that was fighting against the very thought of standing up. 

“Well! Today’s been a little rough so let’s focus on something else, like what we should eat; I haven’t eaten all day. What do you guys want? I can probably make it. I know this hotel well enough to know what I can make. You guys want tea?” Or just anything to change the subject to something lighter? 

“Sure,” Izuru agreed surprisingly. He’s never this agreeable, “We can order something from the room service menu. As for _you_ , Hajime, you’ll be resting for the next few days. You must remember that the blow you took was no minor one. You should let yourself heal.” And... there we go. Of course, Izuru couldn’t just agree. Hajime folded his arms and sat back down; it was just a petty thing to be mad at, but it felt normal. Like they were steering away from all the bad that happened. 

“Hajime, stop pouting like a child.” He leaned forward to meet Hajime at eye level. Even with his mostly bland expression, Hajime spotted a pout of his own. 

“Look who’s talking?” 

“I am not pouting.” Izuru countered. 

It felt like a pouting competition to see who out pouted the other until Nagito started laughing. 

“What?” 

“Jeez, you really are brothers. _You’re both pouting!_ ” 

Both Hajime and Izuru’s cheeks reddened as Nagito laughed at their expense. Then they laughed. This was so stupid, it was funny. Hajime’s sides (and head) were hurting from the laughter but, he noticed something special. For the first time in years, Izuru laughed. He didn’t look emotionless with only tiny twitches to give away what he was feeling. He was smiling, he was laughing. It felt like Hajime was able to get a bit of his brother back. It made the feeling of happiness from this stupid little moment all the happier. 

When the laughter subsided, Izuru went and got the Room Service Phone. His face went back to its neutral look but, that laugh was slow progress. 

“Okay, that was fun but seriously, what do you guys want to eat?” 

They looked at the menu on the coffee table and decided from that. Hajime smiled; he was sure of it now. 

Today was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laughter is really the best medicine.
> 
> Also finally! Some direct Komahina in this komahina story. I really did work to make this a slow burn even if it pained my komahina soul...


	9. The Debt Settlement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Hajime is finally gunna gamble! Let's see how this turns out after his crushing defeat before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact about Hajime: He has a special ability called hyperfocus that he developed over his years of gambling. When he knows instructions are coming up or when he's nervous, he automatically listens in to anything that sounds important. You will know when he does this because the text will be in **bold**.

It’d been a few days since Hajime’s massive injury. Izuru had forbade him from going to class for at least another week; he’s been pretty much locked in his dorm for the past two days. The only people that came to visit him were Nagito, since he lived there, and Izuru. 

It was hell. 

Now, Hajime was just lying on his bed; listening to YouTube to entertain himself until he could leave. He needed to get back to gambling; he was still in deep debt. Plus, he just needed to get out of this dorm. He looked over at his alarm clock, it’s 5:38pm; maybe at 7 he could get out. He’ll ask Nagito a little later. Maybe he’d check how the casino was doing; last he’d heard, it was still under repair. He checked his phone and saw that there was an announcement from the casino. 

“Hmm?” 

There’s an event there tonight. At 7:30pm there’ll be a debt settlement party. Maybe he could earn some extra cash there. At 7, he got dressed and headed out; he was expecting Nagito to stop him but, he wasn’t in the dorms at all. How odd. Well, that’s not Hajime’s problem; it’s probably a good thing. He headed to the casino ready to win some money, or at least try. 

Surprisingly, people noticed him and were welcoming him back. Was he so much of a regular that it was noticeable when he disappears? Was that a good thing? It didn’t matter at that point. Hajime made it to the middle of the casino, where the debt settlement party was to be held. Signing his name in, Hajime slipped into the crowd. He saw Nagito, sticking out of the crowd with his white hair; he was with a lady with choppy purple hair. The girl looked to be a nurse but, more importantly, she had a collar with her tag. She was a house pet? And why was Nagito hanging out with her? Hajime stepped deeper into the crowd to make sure Nagito didn’t see him. 

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a young woman stepped on stage. The woman seemed barely a teen and had a casino uniform. Dark purple hair and skin so deep brown it was nearly black in the dim light, but her eyes were a sharp true purple. The lights fell on her, revealing her chain and tag and a soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It was too obvious that her owner must have some ownership of the casino and that this was a job forced on her; it was sad to be honest. 

“Welcome gamblers,” she greeted, “to the Debt Settlement Party. Every year, gamblers seem to have trouble with their debt; so, we hold these events to give those in debt a second chance of some sorts. The rules are simple.” She walked over to four mannequins holding cards with various amounts of debts. Hajime focused; if he wanted to win anything, he had to pay attention. 

**“Each of you will be put into groups of four. From there you will be given a game of any kind to gamble on. When the game is finished, the person in first place will have their debt erased and the person in last will have their debt swapped with the person with the highest amount of debt. So, they’re technically two challenges; One: trying to win the game and Two: For those not having the highest debt, making sure that you don’t get the lowest. Or for the person with the highest debt to, at least, not get fourth to get their debt reduced.”**

That’s risky... He could be put into higher debt if his opponent has higher debt than him. Some people have debt in the millions, some had debt in the tens of millions like him and some have debt on the hundreds of millions... If he got someone with a hundred million in debt, that would practically destroy him! He should leave... but, you never get anywhere by playing low, you need to take a risk to get high rewards. 

The employee girl started calling off names to be grouped together; this was Hajime’s last chance to run. 

...But he didn’t. 

“Group 18: Hope’s Peak Academy Reserve Course, Hajime Hinata. Hope’s Peak Academy Reserve Course, Natsumi Kuzuryu. Koa Junior High, Rei Wakanashi. Hope’s Peak Academy Main Course 76th Class, Yin Kuzimora.” 

Great... Another Ultimate... and Natsumi? As if on que, Natsumi appeared out of the crowd. 

“Kuzuryu-san!” Hajime waved her down. 

“Oh, hey Hinata-kun. Where have you been?” 

“No time for that. I have to talk to you.” Hajime said. 

Natsumi raised an eyebrow in suspicion but didn’t blow him off. 

“I’m listening.” 

… 

All four had been gathered in a room. The host of the party was the very same employee from the meeting. 

“You’ll be supervising us?” Hajime asked curious on why. 

“Yes, this table has both the most debt and the fiercest reputation by far. It would be irresponsible for me to leave this in the hands of someone else.” 

Hajime briefly wondered if she was foreign; her Japanese was impressive but, her looks and her accent gave it away. She sounded American. Though he figured that would be rude to ask. 

“What’s your name?” Natsumi asked. 

“...Is that important?” The girl sighed, “Keisha.” 

“Why so cold sweetheart?” A boy with slicked-back, red hair asked. He was wearing the Main Course cardigan, so Hajime figured he was Yin Kuzimora. He held a finger under her chin lifting it up so that she looked him in the eyes. Jeez, are all Ultimates touchy, cocky assholes? 

“Oh, give it a rest Kuzimora. Let the woman do her job.” Natsumi spoke up. 

Hajime looked over to the beige-haired boy that he could safely assume was Rei Wakanashi. He’s not looking anyone in the eyes, trying to keep to himself. Yin backed off but not without giving Natsumi a dirty look. 

“Okay,” Keisha spoke up, “Everyone take a seat and put your debt plates in front of you; we must process with the game.” 

Hajime sat down and pulled his plate out. He put it in the rectangle shaped indent in the table; it fit perfectly. Now his ten million yen was on display. He looked at the others’ debt. Yin had thirty million, Rei had four million and Natsumi had one hundred million... 

“That’s a crazy amount of debt Kuzuryu-san. Course you would be the one to rack up so much." Hajime joked playfully. 

“Oh, shush! I could easily pay this off but why would I when Hope’s Peak would do it for me?” Natsumi responded casually while practically sinking in her chair. Typical Natsumi. 

“So, what game are we playing?” Rei finally spoke up. 

Keisha grabbed four cups and 20 dice. She separated all by color and placed them in front of each player. Natsumi got purple, Rei got blue, Yin got red, and Hajime got green. Hajime knew that the rules were coming up, so he started paying attention. 

“We are going to play ‘Liar’s Dice’ with a little twist. Let me explain how this Liar’s Dice is going to work. **You each have a cup with five dice that you’re going to shake around in the cup.”**

She grabbed Hajime’s dice and cup and shook the dice in the cup then put the cup upside-down with the dice inside; she did the same to Yin’s. **“You are then going to guess how many of a number in inside of all the cups in total. The one exception is the number one. One is the wild number and will simply add to the number you guessed. So, if Hinata guessed three fives, for examples, and there were two fives and a one; he would still win.”**

As if luck was trying to set an example; she lifted the cups and there were exactly two fives in Hajime’s cup and a one in Yin’s. 

**“You can guess less than the actual number but never more. If Hinata guessed four fives, he would be wrong. You can also raise the amount of a number or just call and keep it the same. You can also change the number entirely, but you’ll need to match the amount to your new number. So, if Yin raised and said that there were actually four fives or Natsumi changed and said that there were actually three sixes, while both would be wrong, that would be a valid move. If you believed there were less dice of that number, you would challenge the player that came up with the latest claim.”**

She covered the dice again and picked up one of Hajime’s chips, “Now, we’re getting into the change. **Normally, if you lost a challenge, you would lose a die; however, in this game, you would lose a chip. Or, more accurately, you would lose the amount of chips you bet. The consequence of raising, challenging, or changing is a raise of chips.”** She put one chip on Hajime’s cup and three on Yin’s. **“Each chip is worth 10 percent of your total debt. So, for example, Yin’s are worth three million.”**

 **“Finally, the game will go on until only one person has chips. Or, the more likely option, we run out of time. If we run out of time, the amount of money all the chips end up being in total will decide our winner.** Does everyone understand?” 

One by one, everyone nodded. Hajime had played Liar’s Dice before, so he knew how it worked; he was more worried about the new chip rule. Keisha clapped twice and lights dimmed. A spotlight shined right above the players’ heads. A common tactic used in showdowns to both add dramatic effect to onlookers and to keep the players’ focus solely on the game. 

Everyone shook their cups and placed them upside down. 

“Natsumi, you start.” 

Natsumi smirked and placed a chip on her cup. 

“I bet one Natsumi chip.” 

“Are you crazy? Do you not know how much your chips are worth??” Hajime responded flabbergasted that Natsumi would start so boldly. 

“Oh, give it a rest. What’s the fun in playing safely?” Natsumi countered, “I say that there are three fours.” 

“I like your style, Kuzuryu! This game could be interest!” Yin barely glanced at Hajime. Yin drummed his fingers on the table, “Go on and play, Soy Boy. I wanna raise this chick.” 

Hajime sighed, no point in folding and no point in changing. “I call. One Hajime chip.” 

“Hmm, at least you aren’t completely boring.” Yin placed two chips on his cup, “I raise, two Yin chips! I think you’re on the right track with the four dice. Though I think there are four, fours.” Yin looked around arrogantly at his opponents. “Any objections?” 

“I call. Two Rei chips.” 

The trick of this game was that the longest you wait, the more money goes in the pile which could be a big win or a big loss. You either let the money grow in the hopes you’ll score big, or you challenge while it’s small to lessen the blow. You could fold but, you can’t play again until someone challenges. You hold onto your chips but with no chance at victory. 

“I call. Two Natsumi chips.” 

Hajime couldn’t play reckless. Letting the money fester might mean suicide. 

“I challenge! I don’t think there’s four, fours.” Of course, with a challenge, you need to raise. Hajime added another chip. 

“Hinata has challenged Kuzimora. Everyone will raise their cups. If there are less than four, fours Hinata win. The opposite is true as well.” Keisha explained, “Now, raise your cups!” 

Everyone raised their cups and they had. Three fours and....two ones... 

Shit... 

“Three fours and two ones. Meaning, technically, there are five fours. Kuzimora wins.” 

Damn it... Now everyone was down two chips. Well... everyone except Yin who was grinning like a cocky idiot. 

“Okay then, we are going in clockwise order. Hajime, it’s your turn.” 

He needed to protect his chips for now. 

“I fold.” 

“HA!” Yin pounded his arm on the table with a loud thud, “What’s the matter? You lost the first round and now you’re running? Pathetic! But, then again, what did I expect from a Reserve Course Student; much less a house pet.” 

Hajime kept a neutral expression; a big thing about gambling is how to keep your composure in the face of taunting and, he had mastered that art. 

“Anyways, I call. One Yin chip. I think there’s... five, sixes.” 

“I fold” Rei said dully. 

“What?! You both are so boring! Kuzuryu-san, come on, don’t fold on me too.” 

Natsumi placed four chips on her cup. 

“I raise four Natsumi chips!” 

Is this girl insane? Or maybe, it’s a bluff. Well, it seemed to be working, Yin looked unsure. 

“Oh... on second thought, I might have to fold too...” 

“Everyone else has folded, meaning Kuzuryu wins this round. Kuzimora, it’s your turn.” 

And that’s how the next few rounds went. Obviously, the one with the most power was person who betted high for they could cause a fold. Hajime was starting to get nervous. He couldn’t fold forever, and time was ticking, **that’s when he heard another set of tapping. Four sets. Four, Three, Two Three.**

“Raise! Three Hajime chips, two Rei chips” Yin said, “Neither of these chips means much to me. They aren’t worth much. But that brings the total to five. And I say that there’s **six threes.** ” 

“I fold.” Rei said. 

“Me too.” Natsumi said. 

Should Hajime fold? He has earned a small earning but, if he lost, he would lose that leeway. But he really wanted to teach that asshole some manners... 

“I challenge! Five Hajime chips.” 

He laughed, “We’re doing this again? Fine then, waste your chips, House pet!” 

They opened their cups and there were four threes and four wilds. Hajime lost. Yin laughed again. But Hajime wasn’t backing down just yet. He had one more trick up his sleeves. 

“You do really think I don’t see what you’re doing?” Hajime asked. 

“Huh?” 

“It’s painfully obvious you and Wakanashi-san are cheating.” 

“What?” Rei jumped a little. 

“What’s your proof? You can’t make a claim like that without proof!” Rei argued angrily. 

“You may think drumming your fingers on the table is subtle, but I’d have to disagree. I’ll admit, at least Wakanashi-san was more subtle by drumming his fingers under the table. From what I can tell, the first set of drumming is the amount and the second is the number on the die.” 

Yin bit back on a curse. Rei just looked down in shame. 

“I see, so there’s cheating going on.” Keisha said blankly, “Well, that would mean Kuzimora and Wakanashi are disqualified.” 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Hajime spoke up, “That would mean there are two fourth place losers, which would hit the casino’s funds hard. Plus, I wouldn’t want to blame Wakanashi-san for his master’s incompetence.” 

“What? Master? Who said I was a house pet?!” Rei stood up. He looked a little offended. 

“Then why would you cheat with him?” Hajime responded with a question. Though, he didn’t give Rei time to answer. “Plus, I see the chain under your collar. Of course, it was only a guess that Kuzimora was your master but, it was a well-educated one.” 

Rei fell silent. 

“Anyways, I don’t want to saddle Wakanashi-san with so much debt so, if it’s fine with you Keisha and both Kuzuryu-san and Kuzimora. I just want to have one more match against Kuzimora. Whoever wins gets first place, whoever loses gets fourth. Is that fine with all? I promise I won’t say a thing about the cheating or the sudden change in rules.” 

“Yeah, I got no issues. Again, I could pay this off.” Natsumi answered. 

“I have to agree. If I don’t, my debt gets worse...” Rei said. 

“I have no issues with that.” Keisha agreed. 

“I have a fucking issue with it!” Yin, unsurprisingly, responded. “If I lose... I’d have to pay one hundred million! I don’t have that kind of money!” 

“Are you really in much position to argue?” Keisha asked; she sounded a little too happy to call him out, “Cheating from a Hope’s Peak Student? Especially the main course.” 

Yin didn’t respond... The room was silent for a few moments. It seemed that, while that stirred him a little, it didn’t shake him enough. 

“...Hey Kuzimora, what talent do you have?” Hajime asked. 

“What? Why does that matter?” 

“I wanted to add yours to the list of Ultimates I’ve defeated.” Hajime taunted, trying to anger him into saying yes. 

“You little...” It seemed to be working. “Wait, you’re that Hajime Hinata, aren’t you? The one that defeat Syoske, the Ultimate Strategist but then lost to one of the Ultimate Lucky Students, right?” 

Hajime nodded. Yin seemed to think on that for a few seconds before giving Hajime an evil gin. 

“Y’know what? I’m the Ultimate Mathematician, remember it well because it’ll be the talent that runs you into the ground. You’re going to regret challenging me!” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it before. So, do you agree to the terms?” 

“Yeah, let’s do this.” 

So, Keisha rearranged the room to have only two chairs at the one table and instructed both Natsumi and Rei to leave. 

“Ok, this will be the final round. You two will obey the same rules but whoever wins the next challenge wins the whole game. Hajime, you’ll start.” 

Hajime shook his cup and looked at his dice. There seemed to be two sixes and a wild one on his side. Now with no need to call or raise and no way to fold, he just needed to call a number. He needed to play it smart. This Ultimate had underestimated him for the last time. He’s the Ultimate Mathematician, so Hajime should mess with his math. 

“Four sixes.” He simply called out. 

“Seven sixes.” Yin responded. 

Here’s the issue. If Yin was bluffing and he had four sixes, Hajime would lose. But if Hajime bet again and Yin challenged, that might also spell out doom. Hajime had to trust in something. One hundred million... Hajime might faint, that’s a lot of debt. Though he didn’t show it on his face, he was nervous as hell. He took a deep breath, he had to do what he did best. 

He had to take a gamble. 

“I challenge.” He responded hoping that Yin fell back on his math skills like he’s been doing this whole game. 

“Hinata has challenged Kuzimora. So, players. For the final time, raise your cups!” 

They lifted their cups and Hinata just kept his eyes close. He didn’t want to see it, like that would prevent it happening. He just waited for someone to say something. He felt dizzy, he could have lost it all. 

“There are only six sixes in the pile. Hajime Hinata has won the game!” Keisha announced. 

He... won? He won? Hajime dropped the cup; he was in complete shock. What snapped him out of it was Yin grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him up; he looked angry, and he was about to punch Hajime when Keisha pulled out a taser. 

“Huh, I would have thought this was self-explanatory but, violence is not allowed here.” Keisha said coldly. She went to get Rei and Natsumi back. 

“Soooo, who won?! Who do we get to laugh at?” Natsumi asked excitedly. 

“I would advise you not to taunt but, Hajime Hinata won.” 

“Wow! Well, I guess your plan worked in a way Hajime.” 

“Wait what? What plan?” Yin asked, beyond confused. 

“Well, his initial plan was to trick you into targeting me by inflating my ‘debt.’” 

Natsumi grabbed Hajime’s ten million plate. 

“That is the debt I signed in. The one hundred million was actually Hajime’s.” 

“Unfortunately, that plan was starting to fall apart when you were about to get eight of my chips and I was running out of time.” Hajime continued, “So I needed to think of anyways that you were cheating and then I remembered the tapping. I blindly accused you and came up with this challenge in a panic.” 

“So, the only reason I got caught was because your own cheat was about to backfire?!” Yin frantically turned to Keisha, “Is that even allowed?! They swapped plates! That must be cheating!” 

“It was but, they never got caught.” Keisha answered, “He who allows himself to be deceived is the fool.” 

Yin seemed to be having a mental breakdown. Hajime almost felt bad but if it was up to Yin, Hajime would have been saddled with the same debt so, he couldn’t feel too much pity. 

Yin screamed at the top of his lungs. He flipped over the table and ran to swing at Hajime again when Keisha tased him. 

“Violence is not permitted here, as you very well know.” She looked at the rest of the players, “You should go, I’ll handle him.” 

Right... Hajime was about to leave when Keisha grabbed his shoulder. 

“Don’t forget this.” 

It was a golden ticket. The text said, “Get Out of Debt Free!” like a Monopoly card. He smiled, nodded at Keisha and left. He was so focused on not getting into more debt that he forgot that first place meant getting out of debt. He was going to get out debt! Or that’s what he thought... 

As he was passing to go to collect his reward, he passed two people. He could hear crying. He turned back to see Nagito comforting that same girl with choppy purple hair. He was hugging her while she sobbed. 

“I lost! I lost Komaeda-kun!” The girl cried. 

“I know... I’m so sorry Tsumiki-san. I didn’t expect her to be so good at gambling.” 

“What am I going to do?! I disobeyed Enoshima! She’s going to hurt me when I get back! She’s a cruel owner...” 

Hearing that just made Hajime’s heart shatter. He looked at the ticket; this was his easy way out of debt, his way of gaining back his humanity but... That girl seemed to need it more. He sighed and turned the corner to face them. 

“Hey,” Hajime called out. They turned to face him, “I overheard what you said.” He pulled out his ticket and handed it to her, “I won this in my game but, it seems you need this more than I do.” 

Her eyes lit up and she grabbed the ticket. 

“Are... Are you sure? You’re a house pet too. Don’t you need this?” She asked. 

“Yeah but, my owner isn’t a cruel one. So, it’s fine, I can wait.” 

The girl seemed to cry harder and got on her hands and knees. 

“Thank you! Thank you so much! You truly don’t understand what this means to me! I’m forever in your debt!” 

“No, you’re not. You don’t own me anything.” Hajime squatted down to meet her eyes. Her misty eyes stared back. He smiled and continued, “Think of it as just a gift.” 

She was trembling but tried to smile. Wiping away her tears; she got up and ran to the booth ticket in hand. Nagito briefly looked at Hajime with a thankful smile and followed his friend. 

Haime stood up and went back to his dorm. 

“Well Hajime, you’re still in debt but... at least you made a girl’s day.” Hajime said to himself. 

Totally Worth It.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Hajime's freedom. He's too nice for this world.


End file.
